Why Is It Always Me?
by Brockster550
Summary: Harry can't seem to stay out of the spotlight. His name comes out of the goblet of fire, forcing him to compete in the Triwizard Tournament. He's also treated coldly by most of the student body. Better summary inside the story. Dumbledore is manipulative, Bad Ron, Bad Hermione, Good Snape, Harry romance. No copyright intended, the fanfic is all I own. "Now complete!"
1. Chapter 1

Why Is It Always Me?

fanfic by Brockster550

 _Disclaimer: No copyright intended. This fanfic is all I own. The rights to the series belong to J.K. Rowling._

 **Summary: Harry Potter just can't seem to stay out of the spotlight, no matter how hard he tries. Ever since he came to Hogwarts, something bad happens to him (or something that involves him) every Halloween. This time, his name comes out of the goblet of fire, and the entire school (with some exceptions) accuses him of cheating and being an attention seeker. Even Ron and Hermione refuse to believe Harry's protests that he didn't put his name into the goblet of fire. After enduring this for two and a half weeks, Harry crosses paths with Fleur Delacour's sister, Gabrielle. She believes that Harry is telling the truth, but Gabrielle can't convince the other Beauxbatons students to realize the truth (although Fleur doesn't hold it against Harry). So what could possibly happen between Harry and Gabrielle?**

Author's Note 1: In this fanfic, the magical binding contract with the goblet of fire will not work with somebody who didn't enter his or her name willingly (which Harry isn't aware of). This will also be a Harry/Gabrielle pairing story. Gabrielle will be a thirteen going-on fourteen year old. There will be some OC's here as well. This will also start right when the students of the foreign schools arrive at Hogwarts. Greater Good Dumbledore, heavy Ron and Hermione bashing, and Professor Snape will also change his behavior and attitude.

Ch. 1

Greeting The Foreign Visitors

It was October 30, 1994, and all of the students were filing into the Great Hall to wait for their guests, who were due to arrive any minute, before the feast.

"Alright everybody," Professor Dumbledore announced, everybody quieted down. "Now, before we begin the feast, we have to welcome our special guests."

Argus Flich, the Hogwarts caretakers comes running up to Professor Dumbledore, whispering something, and then ran back to the doors (in a comical way, much to the amusement of the students).

"Anyway, as I was saying," Professor Dumbledore continued. "We are to welcome our guests, who will be staying here for the remainder of the school year. Now, let's welcome the lovely ladies of the Beauxbatons Academy and their headmistress, Madame Maxime!"

The doors opened, and in walked the Beauxbaton students. A lot of the boys were instantly attracted to them.

"Bloody hell!" said Ron, who was checking out the Beauxbatons girls.

The Beauxbatons headmistress, Madame Maxime began walking toward Professor Dumbledore.

"Wow," said Seamus Finnigan, who caught Harry's attention. "That's one big woman!"

Madame Maxime was, indeed really tall. She stopped in front of Professor Dumbledore while offering her hand, with the Hogwarts headmaster gently holding her hand and giving it a peck, then Madame Maxime took a seat at the staff table.

"And now," Professor Dumbledore continued. "Let's welcome the boys of Durmstrang Institute and their headmaster, Igor Karkaroff!"

The boys of Durmstrang started walking into the great hall while banging their sticks on the floor, like they were performing some kind of ritual (and some of them were blowing fire out of their wands). The Durmstrang students were wearing something like red coats (implying that their school was in the far north, in colder regions). After the Durmstrang students finished, Igor Karkaroff came in, with another student.

"Blimey, it's him," said Ron surprised. "Viktor Krum!"

Viktor had a seemingly serious look on his face. Igor walked up to Professor Dumbledore.

"Albus!" greeted Igor as he and Albus exchanged hugs.

Igor went find a seat at the staff table while Professor Dumbledore walked back to the headmaster's podium for another annoucement.

"Alright," said Professor Dumbledore as he pulled a sheet off of a goblet. "Now, as the Triwizard Tournament has been reinstated, there will be some new rules. For the safety of the students, no student under seventeen years of age shall submit their names into the Goblet of Fire!"

The students were outraged by the revelation, especially the Weasley twins and their friend, Lee Jordan.

"SILENCE!" shouted Professor Dumbledore, with everybody quieting down. "Now, in order to submit for the tournament, you must write your name on a piece of parchment and put it into the goblet of fire. On Halloween night, the goblet will randomly choose a student from each school to represent their respective school. This is _not_ for the faint hearted."

This caused the students to really think things through. Professor Dumbledore continued with a warning.

"What I mean that this is not for the faint hearted," Professor Dumbledore went on. "Is that the goblet also constitutes a magical binding contract. So once you have been chosen as a champion for your school, there's no turning back! As of this moment, the Triwizard Tournament has begun! Now let the feast begin!" The tables were suddenly filled with food for dinner.

Soon, dinner was over, and everybody started leaving the Great Hall and for the dormitories.

"I can't believe this!" stated Fred (or George). "We have to be seventeen to enter."

"We should have a go," said George (or Fred). "We're seventeen in April. Why couldn't we be able to enter?"

"This is bogus!" agreed Lee. "Even I won't be seventeen by tomorrow."

Harry couldn't help but feel sorry for the three.

"There must be some way we could get in!" said Fred and George in unison.

"Eternal Glory, that'd be cool, huh mate?!" Ron asked Harry with excitement.

Harry didn't answer, he already had some form of it. What more could he get, let alone want with eternal glory? He had survived a curse that no wizard or witch should have, which happened on Halloween night 1981. The curse that was used on Harry was an unforgivable curse (the killing curse, to be exact) which, when Harry was only fifteen months old, had rebounded onto Lord Voldemort, causing him to flee, barely alive. Harry was only left with a lightning bolt scar on his forehead. Tomorrow would be Halloween, the day his parents died. Harry started getting a gut feeling that something bad was bound to happen (which did every Halloween he had been at Hogwarts). Not wanting to cause a scene, Harry headed up to his dormitory, got into his pajamas, took his glasses off, placed them on his nightstand, and soon drifted off to sleep. Eventually, everybody in the Gryffindor common room turned in for the night to get some shut-eye.

The next day, Harry, Ron and Hermione headed to Professor McGonagall's classroom for Transfiguration after breakfast.

"Harry, you alright?" asked Hermione. "You're all fidgety!"

"I just have a terrible feeling something bad is gonna happen." stated Harry with worry.

"There will be safety measures around Harry," assured Ron. "Everything will be fine."

"I hope so," said Harry downheartedly. He just kept getting the gut feeling.

"Trust us Harry, it will be alright." said Hermione.

Soon, they were in class, with their transfiguration lesson starting. Soon, class was over, and Harry approached Professor McGonagall's desk before leaving.

"Is something bothering you Mr. Potter?" she asked with concern.

"Yeah," said Harry, not knowing if his head of house would believe him. "I keep getting this terrible feeling that something bad will happen tonight."

Professor McGonagall just looked at Harry sternly, even though actually saw him shaking a little bit. "What do you think might happen?" she asked.

"Well, I'm not sure," said Harry. "Anything could happen. I just keep getting this feeling that something bad is bound to happen, and it just keeps coming back."

Professor McGonagall was stunned, but didn't know what to think of it. "I do assure you that there are safety measures," stated Professor McGonagall. "Professor Dumbledore has even put those measures around the school, Mr. Potter."

"This feeling keeps telling me that it's going to involve me!" said Harry with worry.

"Mr. Potter, I assure you that it will be safe," said Professor McGonagall sternly. "Maybe you're just overreacting. Now why don't you head off to your next lesson." Harry left the classroom, feeling rather discouraged, as he felt his head of house would help him.

During lunchbreak, the students gathered around the Goblet of Fire, which was currently being kept in a separate room, watching various students (who were of age) submitting their names for the tournament. Angelina Johnson came up and submitted herself.

"Are you really seventeen, Angelina?" asked Hermione.

"Yes," said Angelina. "I had my birthday last week."

"Well, Happy Belated Birthday Angelina." said Harry.

"Thanks Harry." said Angelina.

"Yeah, Happy Belated." said Hermione to Angelina.

"Thanks Hermione." said Angelina.

"Yeah!" said Fred and George, who both came in with a vial of potion. "We got it!"

"It's an ageing potion!" stated Fred.

"It's not gonna work!" said Hermione in her know-it-all voice.

"Oh yeah...?" said Fred (or George).

"Why is that...?" asked George (or Fred).

"You see," said Hermione, closing her book and pointing to a magical line around the goblet. "This is an age line. Professor Dumbledore drew it around the goblet to prevent underage students from passing through."

"So." said Fred and George.

"So," Hermione continued. "Professor Dumbledore couldn't possibly be fooled by it. The age line and the goblet wouldn't be either."

"Well, it's dimwitted," said Fred and George in unison. "That means Dumbledore is dimwitted because we have ageing potions with us."

The twins got ready and opened their respective vials of ageing potion. "Bottles up!" They said to each other.

After taking their potion, they jumped through the age line, which was seemingly working.

"YEESSSSS!" said the twins, with everybody cheering.

So Fred and George submitted their names into the goblet, which seemed to accept them.

"YEEEEEESSSSS!" said the twins as they high fived each other, with the students cheering harder.

All of a sudden, the goblet shot some sort of blasting spell out that repelled Fred and George back, causing them to grow white beards and hair. They seemed to be amused by it. The other students were also amused as well.

"I did warn you," said the familiar voice of Professor Dumbledore. "I warned you two about using an aging potion to try to bypass the age line!"

Even Dumbledore was amused by the white beards and hair that were on the Weasley twins.

"You two better go to the hospital wing," Professor Dumbledore continued. "Summers and Fawcett tried the same stunt you two did, only for their plan to inevitably backfire."

Fred and George started walking to the hospital wing, disappointed that their plan backfired.

After Dumbledore left, Cedric Diggory, a seventh year Hufflepuff who was also seeker and captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, came in with some encouragement from his friends, and walked toward the goblet to submit his name for the tournament, with everybody cheering. A couple minutes later, Viktor Krum, along with headmaster Karkaroff, came in. Viktor submitted his name as well, with everybody cheering wildly. Then Viktor turned his head and looked at Hermione, while giving her a smile, in which Hermione couldn't help but smile back. Viktor and Karkaroff left the room. Then a group of Beauxbatons students came in and followed one in. The Beauxbatons girl walked toward the goblet, and submitted her name, with most of the boys ogling her, seeing that she was part-veela or at least had some veela traits (though Harry was one of the few boys who wasn't affected). The Beauxbatons student who was part-veela then turned toward what appeared to be her younger sister. The younger sister turned toward Harry and gave him a bright smile. Harry smiled back at her, then she walked away. Harry all of a sudden liked her smile, she looked to be around his age. The students then left and went to do whatever they planned to do until it was dinnertime.

Soon, it was dinnertime, and everybody filed into the Great Hall, where the Beauxbatons students sat by the Ravenclaw table and the Durmstrang students sat by the Slytherin table. Harry's gut feeling was getting worse, and he couldn't eat that much as a result.

"Harry, you should eat more than that," said Neville with concern. "I know you're hungry."

"I just keep getting this terrible feeling that something bad will happen, that involves me!" said Harry.

"It's alright Harry," assured Neville. "Dumbledore is doing everything to make sure nothing bad happens."

"I hope so." said Harry, who just kept getting the gut feeling.

After everybody ate their fill of dinner and dessert, Professor Dumbledore walked up to the headmaster's podium for the announcing of the Triwizard Tournament champions. Barty Crouch and Ludo Bagman walked into the Great Hall at that moment.

"Now, as I said yesterday," Dumbledore reminded the students. "The Goblet of Fire has a magical binding contract. Once you have been chosen as your school champion, there's no turning back. Now let's announce the champions!"

Ludo and Barty carried the Goblet over onto a conjured table by the headmaster's podium. The Goblet started activating, with red flames expelling the first parchment, which then floated downward into the waiting hands of Professor Dumbledore.

"The Durmstrang champion is...Viktor Krum!" he announced.

The students (especially the Durmstrang students) cheered as Viktor got up and started walking to an antechamber where the champions were supposed to go. The goblet activated again, with the next parchment expelling out of the goblet, floating down into the waiting hands of Professor Dumbledore.

"The Beauxbatons champion is...Fleur Delacour!" he announced.

The students again (especially the Beauxbatons students) cheered as Fleur, who was the part-veela who submitted her name into the goblet, got up and walked to the champions' antechamber. The girl who appeared to be Fleur's sister spotted Harry, and again gave him a bright smile. Harry couldn't help but smile back, since he liked the way she smiled. The goblet lit up a third time, expelling a third piece of parchment, which floated into Dumbledore's hand.

"The Hogwarts champion is...Cedric Diggory!" he announced. The students, once again, (especially the Hogwarts students {the Hufflepuff students in particular}) cheered wildly as Cedric got up and walked to the champions antechamber.

"Now, we have our three champions from each school..." said Professor Dumbledore, who noticed that the goblet lit up once more, expelling a fourth piece of parchment that floated down into Dumbledore's hand.

"Harry Potter!" he said quietly, looking at the parchment, seemingly stunned.

The students started wondering what was going on.

"Harry Potter!" said Professor Dumbledore in a normal speaking voice.

Harry was stunned that it was his name that came out. He knew that trusting his gut instincts was a great idea, he knew that something bad would happen again this Halloween, especially something involving him.

"HARRY POTTER!" shouted Professor Dumbledore.

Hermione pushed Harry's shoulder to tell him to go, so Harry got up and walked toward Professor Dumbledore. Various students have started labeling Harry a 'cheat' or an 'attention seeker' or simply stated that he is underage. Rubeus Hagrid was also stunned, he was in disbelief that Harry's name came out of the goblet. Even Fleur's sister (unknown to Harry) was stunned, she didn't believe that Harry submitted his name. She correctly believed that Harry wasn't an attention seeker and didn't want eternal glory.

Harry walked up to Professor Dumbledore, who handed Harry "his" parchment. Harry took it and looked at it. His name on the parchment wasn't in his handwriting. Harry started walking to the champions antechamber. As he started passing Professor McGonagall, he saw that she had a stunned look on her face. Professor McGonagall patted Harry on the shoulder (as if to say that she is sorry she didn't listen to Harry and that everything would be alright). Harry saw Hagrid with a worried look on his face (which told Harry that Hagrid believed that Harry didn't submit). Then Harry saw Professor Moody (who apparently was sleeping while standing), which left Harry a little suspicious. He walked into the champions antechamber.

 _More chapters to come soon!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: As mentioned before, no copyright intended. J.K. Rowling owns the series. I just own the fanfic._

Ch. 2

Shunned

Harry saw the other three champions, giving him a puzzled look. Some commotion was heard coming from the antechamber entrance. Harry saw Professor Dumbledore jogging toward him, along with Professor Moody, Madame Maxime and Igor Karkaroff, followed by Ludo Bagman and Barty Crouch. Harry backed toward a corner, a terrified look on his face. Dumbledore grabbed Harry by the shoulders.

"Harry, did you submit your name into the goblet?" he asked in a no-nonsense voice.

"No sir!" said Harry with fright in his voice.

"Did you ask an older student to do it for you?" asked Professor Dumbledore.

"No sir," said Harry. "I didn't!"

"Are you absolutely positive?" asked Professor Dumbledore.

"Yes sir," stated Harry. "Positive."

"He's obviously lying!" protested Madame Maxime.

"I can see right through that thick head of his!" sneered Igor.

"He couldn't have done this," stated Professor Moody. "A powerful confundus charm had to have been performed, one that is far too powerful for a fourth year student! Then again, Harry has performed magic advanced for his year, so it's possible he did submit!"

"You seem to have given this alot of thought, Mad-Eye!" said Igor with distaste.

"It's my job to think outside the box. Don't you remember?" reminded Professor Moody.

Igor backed away, knowing he lost the argument. Professor McGonagall came in to talk to Harry.

"I told you, professor," stated Harry. "I told you something was bound to happen!"

"I'm sorry Mr. Potter," said Professor McGonagall. "I'm sorry I didn't pay attention to the warning. Will you forgive me?"

"I forgive you, professor." said Harry.

"Do you have any idea who might've submitted your name?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"No professor, I don't." stated Harry.

"We'll leave this up to you Barty." said Professor Dumbledore.

"The rules are absolute, the goblet of fire obtains a powerful magical binding contract. Mr. Potter has no choice, he is...as of tonight...a Triwizard champion!" Barty announced.

"We shall make sure that every school has two champions then." suggested Igor.

"It doesn't work that way," stated Ludo. "The goblet of fire has extinguished and won't reignite until the next tournament."

"But he is just a little boy," Fleur protested. "He is too young to compete."

"There isn't a choice, Fleur," said Madame Maxime. "The magical binding contract means that Harry has to compete."

Fleur understood and walked away, but she didn't hold the incident against Harry. She and Madame Maxime started walking back to the Beauxbatons carriage. Igor and Viktor began heading back to the Durmstrang ship. Harry and Cedric started walking back to their respective house common rooms.

"I honestly didn't put my name into that goblet, Cedric." said Harry.

"I believe you," assured Cedric. "You just don't seem like the type of guy who looks for attention."

Harry was relieved that at least one student believed him.

"Thanks Cedric." said Harry. "It always seems that I keep getting dragged into the spotlight though, against my will."

"Don't worry," said Cedric. "There are at least some who will believe you. But the Triwizard Tournament is bound to have some perks as well."

Harry eased up some more, but he still didn't want to compete, as he felt Cedric was the one who deserved it more. So they said goodnight to each other, and walked back to their respective common rooms. Harry was exhausted from the whole ordeal, and was considering turning in.

Harry made it back to the Gryffindor common room, where he was greeted by Fred, George, Ginny, Lee and Neville.

"Harry, don't you worry," assured Fred and George. "We believe you."

"Thanks guys." said Harry with some relief.

"We know you're not an attention seeker." said Ginny, hoping to make Harry feel better.

"Yeah," stated Neville. "You've always been a great guy, Harry. A true friend!"

"True dat!" said Lee. "You wouldn't do anything like that. We know you don't want any of the whole 'the-boy-who-lived' nonsense."

"The real you is what's behind the legend." said Ginny.

Ron and Hermione walked up to them, shooting a Harry a venomous glare, clearly unimpressed with Harry for 'cheating.'

"How did you do it?" asked Ron in an angry voice.

"What?" asked a surprised Harry. "I didn't..."

"You know bloody hell what." Ron assumed. "Now how did you do it?"

"I didn't!" snapped Harry.

"Don't you DARE LIE TO ME!" Ron shouted at the top of his lungs. "I KNOW YOU DID SOMETHING!"

"I DIDN'T PUT MY NAME IN THAT GOBLET," yelled Harry. "I don't know what happened tonight, and I DON'T know WHY. I don't see why you won't believe me!"

"BECAUSE, you are an ATTENTION SEEKER, YOU PRAT!" yelled Ron.

"Well, at least Hermione also believes me!" said Harry, only to receive another glare from Hermione.

"Don't assume what I do and don't believe, Potter." she said. "This is something that only attention seekers will do!"

Harry was shocked by that, he was certain his "best friends" would believe him.

"If something like this happened to you," he said to Ron and Hermione. "I would be by your side!"

"NO you wouldn't," Ron sneered, ignoring what Harry said. "Your attention seeking attitude is making you selfish."

"Ron is right, Potter," spat Hermione. "Now leave US alone."

Ron and Hermione walked away to another part of the common room. Harry was stunned, he felt betrayed by the two people he considered best friends.

"What is their problem?" asked Ginny. "They should've been on Harry's side."

"Yeah," agreed Neville. "Best friends just don't do that. Assume their best friend is lying about something like this."

Harry was petrified, his legs just didn't seem to want to move.

"The five of us are here for you, Harry!" assured Fred, George, Ginny, Lee and Neville.

Harry approached Ron and Hermione to make things clear.

"You know I helped save you from that troll first year," Harry reminded Hermione. "Don't you think treating me like dirt is a terrible way to repay me?"

"Piss off, POTTER!" spat Hermione, not even bothering to listen to Harry's reminder.

"Yeah, POTTER!" sneered Ron, also giving Harry another glare. "Now leave us alone, you PRAT! If one of us has to tell you one more FLIPPIN' TIME, WE WILL HEX YOU TIL NEXT MONTH! IS THAT CLEAR?"

Harry, knowing he has been defeated, reluctantly walked away and headed off to the dormitory. Fred, George, Ginny, Lee and Neville just looked at Ron and Hermione with disappointment.

"What the hell is wrong with you, RON?" asked Fred, George and Ginny in a no-nonsense voice. "You KNOW that Harry is telling the truth!"

"Best friends just don't assume one is lying." stated Lee and Neville.

Ron and Hermione ignored the five, they got up and walked to another part of the common room.

"Fine, be that way!" retorted Ginny. "But don't come crying to us when the two of you receive your comeuppance!"

"Mum and dad didn't raise Ron this way..." said George.

"And I don't think Hermione's parents raised her this way either." stated Fred.

Harry entered the fourth year boys dormitory, with Dean and Seamus turning their heads toward Harry. Seeing the look of betrayal on Harry's face, Dean immediately decided not to say anything.

"If it isn't the attention seeker..." sneered Seamus.

"PISS OFF!" yelled Harry at the top of his lungs. "I AM NOT AN ATTENTION SEEKER!"

This was enough to make Seamus cower. Just then, Ron came in and "confronted" Harry once more.

"That's enough Potter," said Ron coldly. "It's time to admit the truth!"

"For the LAST TIME, I DIDN'T PUT MY NAME INTO THAT GOBLET. HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO KEEP TELLING YOU THAT?" yelled Harry rather loudly.

Ron wasn't, in the slightest, intimidated. "You know what the penalty for lying is?" barked Ron, whipping his wand out.

Harry was too fast, he whipped his wand out before Ron could and cast a silence charm on him, much to Ron's shock.

"That's better," said Harry defiantly. "Now get in bed right now, or I'll hex you with the leg locker curse!"

Ron reluctantly got up and went to sleep. Harry used the counter curse on the silence charm, but then cast a muffle charm around Ron's bed to drain out his snoring. Harry laid awake a little bit, he was so certain that Ron and Hermione would have his back, especially Hermione. He found it hard to do so, but eventually went to sleep.

(Meanwhile, at the Beauxbatons carriage entrance)

Madame Maxime and Fleur made it back to their carriage. Despite their initail thoughts, they were starting to get second thoughts that maybe Harry was telling the truth after all. Madame Maxime was at a loss for words, so she turned in for the evening. Fleur went to look for her sister, who was sitting in an armchair in their room, all stunned and worried.

"Gabby, are you okay?" asked Fleur.

Gabby then turned her head toward her sister. "Yeah," she said. "I'm just worried for Harry!"

Fleur now realized that Harry was, indeed being entirely truthful.

"I never did hold all of this against him," she said. "It was just hard to assume it without any proof."

"Well, you didn't see it," stated Gabby. "Harry was stunned when his name out of the goblet. Either way, I still believe that he didn't submit his name for the tournament."

Fleur was suddenly filled with remorse for having referred to Harry as a little boy. Seeing Gabby in tears, Fleur started hugging her sister for comfort.

"It will be alright," she assured Gabby. "Harry will be okay."

"I hope so!" said Gabby. "Did the judges pull him out?"

"Unfortunately, they didn't," informed Fleur. "Remember, Dumbledore stated that the goblet came with a magical binding contract. Harry doesn't have any choice, he has to compete in the tournament, even Barty Crouch said so."

Gabby just started crying even more, scared for Harry, with Fleur continuing to hug her sister and assuring her that Harry was okay.

 **Author's note: I know I didn't make Fleur or Madame Maxime talk how they should. I'm not all that great with accents. Hope you enjoy this story either way.**

 _Stay tuned for more chapters coming your way!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: As usual, no copyright intended. The rights to the series go to J.K. Rowling. The fanfic is all I own._

Ch. 3

The Wrath Of The Hufflepuffs

Harry got up at around 5:30 AM, the previous nights events caused him to wake up a little early than usual. So Harry went to the common room and sat on the couch in front of the fireplace, trying to think of something that would get the other students to realize that he didn't enter his name into the goblet. Fifteen minutes later, Neville and Ginny came downstairs to check on Harry.

"You okay Harry?" asked Ginny.

"I'm alright," assured Harry. "I don't know how I'm going to convince everyone else that I've been telling the truth."

"That's their problem," stated Neville. "If they could do this to you, they shouldn't expect you to be some sort of hero."

"Yeah," said Harry. "They already did this to me before, and it's getting on my nerves."

Fred, George and Lee came downstairs as well. They wanted to see if Harry was okay. "You alright mate?" they asked.

"Yeah, I'm alright." stated Harry. "I'm hoping Ron and Hermione have been thinking things through."

"I hope so," said Ginny. "They are the ones being prats, not you."

Soon, Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet and Katie Bell came into the common room, they were the chasers for the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

"Good morning!" Harry greeted the three of them. This only resulted in Harry receiving sour looks from them.

"What makes you think we'll accept that as a greeting?" asked Angelina with distaste.

"What do you mean?" asked Harry with a confused look.

"I think you know what we mean!" stated Alicia coldly.

"No I don't," said Harry. "I was just saying good morning to the three of you."

He was really beginning to get angry, but trying to keep his temper in check.

"Why would we want a conversation or a greeting from the likes of you, Potter?" asked Katie while shooting Harry a venomous glare.

"Because I'm a great friend!" stated Harry truthfully, but neither of the Gryffindor chasers believed him, shocking Fred, George, Ginny, Lee and Neville.

"That's what we thought at first," spat Angelina. "We have no use in talking to attention seekers who are also trying to lie just to get out of trouble."

"Come on you three," said Fred, George and Ginny, trying to reason with them. "This is all just a misunderstanding."

"Well, Harry is an attention seeker," retorted Katie. "He's always looking for more fame and glory!"

"Not another word Potter," hissed Angelina. "As a matter of fact, you have been stripped of your position as seeker for next year!"

The other chasers agreed, much to Fred and George's shock. Harry, also shocked, felt as though he wanted to cry, but somehow fought the urge. Just then, Ron and Hermione came into the common room, and as soon as they saw Harry, they also shot him with intimidating glares.

"Good morning." said Harry in a friendly way.

"SHUT UP POTTER!" spat Ron. "That's just an attempt to hide what you've been trying to hide."

"And we told you to leave us alone!" hissed Hermione.

"You know I've been telling the truth," Harry tried clarifying, again. "Now stop this behavior right now, or you will be sorry."

Hermione just stomped over to Harry and smacked him in the face as hard as she could, causing Harry to fall to the ground. Harry had enough, so he ran out of the common room in tears, pushing the Fat Lady's portrait open and started running outside, crying. Ginny just looked at Hermione in disbelief, Fred and George glared at Ron, while Neville and Lee just gave the Gryffindor chasers a look that said "why?" The five had never seen this kind behavior before.

"Serves him right!" said Ron coldly.

"Yeah, that'll teach him a lesson." said Hermione with delight.

Seamus and Dean came downstairs, wondering what the commotion was about.

"What happened?" asked Seamus.

"Hermione slapped Harry in the face as punishment for being an attention seeker and a liar," said Ron. "And Harry ran out like a crybaby!"

Seamus was also delighted, while Dean was at a loss for words. Something inside of him realized that Harry was telling the truth. When it was just him, Fred, George, Ginny, Lee and Neville, Dean approached them.

"I believe that Harry is telling the truth." said Dean.

"Great job Dean," said Neville. "What made you realize that?"

"I remember catching a glimpse of Harry with a shocked look on his face. Not to mention that Harry said that he didn't enter his name." stated Dean. "And the fact that Harry also didn't answer that in a nervous voice, and also answered right away. And my gut instincts told me so."

"That's good Dean," said Lee. "One should always trust their gut instincts. They're normally accurate!"

"I couldn't see Harry as an attention seeker," said Dean. "My parents once told me that money and fame aren't everything."

"That's right Dean," said Ginny, who then turned to Fred and George. "Shall we write to mum and tell her what's going on?"

"Perhaps," said Fred. "She is probably worried sick for Harry."

"I hope he's okay." said Neville.

"I think he'll be fine." said Ginny. "He just needs some time to himself for a little while."

So the three Weasleys went to write to their parents to notify them about what just happened.

(Meanwhile, in the headmaster's office)

Professor Dumbledore was waiting in his office, expecting somebody, then a knock at the door was heard.

"Come in." said Professor Dumbledore.

Cornelius Fudge, the minister of magic, walked in, along with Mundungus Fletcher, Ludo Bagman, Barty Crouch, and who appeared to be his son, Barty Crouch Jr. After everybody came in, Professor Dumbledore cast a silence charm on the door, to make sure people couldn't hear them.

"Well, what's the next plan Albus?" asked Barty Jr.

"Since Harry's name has been submitted, he thinks he has to compete!" stated Dumbledore.

Ludo smiled wickedly at their next plan. Dumbledore turned toward Barty Jr.

"Since you have submitted Harry's name," he went on. "The next part of the plan is to make sure that Harry doesn't find out about the first task. He especially isn't to know about it."

"Good thinking Albus," said Cornelius with delight. "We need to make sure that attention seeker is stopped."

"No kidding," said Mundungus. "He's full of it!"

"True, very true," said Barty Sr. "I couldn't believe he fell for that."

"Harry is so gullible!" stated Barty Jr.

"Now," Professor Dumbledore began instucting Barty Jr. "Make sure you keep Alastor prisoner in that magical trunk, keep getting his hairs, so that you can keep making and consuming frequent sips of that polyjuice potion."

"Yes sir!" said Barty Jr obediently.

So he drank a little of the polyjuice potion, and started transforming into Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, laughing wickedly.

"Barty Sr," instructed Dumbledore. "Make sure that Harry never suspects what the first task will be. He can't know about the dragons."

"You got it Albus." said Barty Sr.

"Ludo, you, Corneluis and Mundungus will need to, if in any case Harry does find out in some way, make sure he gets the highest marks," Albus went on. "That way he will start the second and third task before the other champions!"

"Affirmative!" said Ludo, Cornelius and Mundungus.

"And one more thing Barty Jr," said Dumbledore. "Make sure Harry gets some kind of strategy, but don't tell him what the task is!"

"Yes sir!" said Barty Jr.

So everybody left the headmaster's office. Unknown to any of them, Fawkes (Albus' pet phoenix) showed disapproval, and that Dobby, the house elf was eavesdropping. Dobby considered reporting this to Harry, but didn't want to risk anything, so he vanished back to the school kitchens.

(Meanwhile, at the Beauxbatons carriage)

Fleur and Gabby were just starting to get up. When they entered the living quarters of their carriage, most of the other students were giving them serious looks. Fleur and Gabby were getting comments of 'Stop assuming Harry is being truthful,' 'We know he was lying and being an attention seeker,' or anything in that type of the branch.

"Harry didn't submit his name into the tournament!" Gabby stated harshly. "He doesn't look like the type of person to be an attention seeker!"

"You'll soon realize, Gabby." assumed one of her schoolmates. "You need to try to fight his brainwashing power."

"Yeah, it's unhealthy for you, Gabby," stated another schoolmate. "Harry is terrible news! He'll try anything to cheat his way to the top!"

Gabby was on the verge of tears, so she ran back to her and her sister's bedroom, slamming the door behind her, locked it and cast a silence charm on the door. Fleur was stunned, and gave her schoolmates an angry look, and walked out of the carriage. Fleur's best friend, Kassidy Kraymor (who is also in the same year as Fleur) came out to comfort Fleur. Kassidy's sister, Kassandra (who is Gabrielle's best friend, and in the same year as Gabrielle) came out as well. The Kraymor girls had brown hair and crystal-blue eyes. Kassidy had her hair all wavy while Kassandra had her's in braids.

"Don't worry, Fleur," assured Kassidy. "Kassandra and I believe you and Gabby."

"Thanks," said Fleur. "You two have been great best friends."

"You're welcome," said Kassandra. "I hope Gabby will be okay."

"She will," assured Kassidy. "She just needs to vent out all of that frustration."

"Yeah, I know she'll be okay!" agreed Fleur.

So the three decided to go for a walk before breakfast. Gabby, meanwhile, had stuffed her face into her pillow, screaming as she continued crying.

"Why won't they listen?" she sobbed. "Why won't they see the truth?"

Gabby started pounding her fists into her pillow, then she layed down on her stomach, buried her face into her arms, and continued crying.

Meanwhile, Harry was taking a walk around the black lake, trying to clear his head (though he was crying a bit). It was bad enough that Ron and Hermione turned against him, and now his fellow Gryffindor chasers also turned against him. It wasn't easy for him, he was sick and tired of being labeled an attention seeker. He just wanted to be normal, he didn't like being dragged into the spotlight, especially against his will. After calming down some, he checked his watch and realized that breakfast was in fifteen minutes, so he started walking up to the castle.

"Harry!" somebody called out to him.

Harry, believing at first to be somebody out to call him an attention seeker, ignored it. He heard his name again and turned around to see Fleur and two other Beauxbatons students jogging up to him.

"Oh, sorry!" said Harry sheepishly.

"It's all good," said Fleur. "I wanted to apologize for calling you a little boy."

"I forgive you." stated Harry.

"I actually realized really quick that you were telling the truth. Gabby, my sister, believes you as well." said Fleur. "Oh, this is my best friend Kassidy, and her sister Kassandra."

"Nice to meet you!" said Harry as he shook hands with Kassidy and Kassandra.

"Gabby was enduring her schoolmates claims of you being an attention seeker," stated Kassandra. "She left for her and Fleur's room, locked the door and cast a silence charm on the door so nobody would hear her crying."

"Dang," said Harry. "I thought I was the only one getting told that or being insulted."

"Yeah, but Gabby will be alright." assured Fleur and Kassidy. "I guess we'd better head to the Great Hall."

"You're right," said Harry. "I was headed that way before you all stopped me."

Meanwhile, after she calmed down, Gabby opened her and Fleur's bedroom door, got out of the carriage and started walking up to the castle, so she wouldn't be late for breakfast.

Harry sat down at the Gryffindor table at the end closest to the doors, with Fred, George, Ginny, Lee, Neville and Dean joining him.

"I believe you Harry." assured Dean. "My instincts told me that."

"Thank you Dean." said Harry with some relief, but knowing that he was still bound to receive insults or accusations. Ron and Hermione shot them (especially Harry) a nasty glare.

"How could you choose Harry over us?" said Ron to Fred, George and Ginny. "He's being a prat, and you know it!"

"Yeah, Harry is being a liar," Hermione claimed, who turned toward Harry. "This is for brainwashing people!" She smacked Harry on the back of his head.

"Owww!" said Harry, rubbing his head. "That was uncalled for!"

"That'll teach you not to brainwash people into believing you!" spat Hermione as she and Ron walked over to the middle of the table, joining Seamus.

"Don't worry, Harry," assured Neville. "It's their problem, not yours."

Harry smiled a bit, though his head still hurt a little from Hermione's slap. To make matters worse for Harry, Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson (two Slytherin students in his year) started handing out badges that said: "Potter Stinks!" which also changed to: "Support Cedric, The Real Hogwarts Champion!" if one pushed the button. Draco and Pansy snickered (since Harry wasn't aware of the buttons, yet). Two Slytherin girls (who appeared to be sisters) just looked at Draco and Pansy in disbelief, since they believed Harry.

As soon as breakfast was over, everybody started leaving the Great Hall for their respective first lessons. Draco and Pansy took advantage of that by handing out the badges which Harry (inevitably) saw, making him mad. Ron and Hermione even grabbed a button for themselves (much to Harry's horror). As Harry started walking to Professor Flitwick's class for charms, some spell hit Harry, making him trip.

"Nice footwork, Potter!" sneered Draco.

Ron took the opportunity to kick Harry in the stomach, making him say "ooof." As Harry got up, he met Hermione's glaring eyes. Hermione just slapped Harry in the face once again, causing him to tumble once more.

"That'll teach you, POTTER!" spat Hermione.

To make it worse for Harry, the Gryffindors were having charms with the Hufflepuffs. All of the Hufflepuff students shot Harry a venomous glare. Harry took a seat next to Neville, who patted him on the back, assuring him that he wasn't the one with the problem. The charms lesson had them practicing a summoning charm, which one would stick their wand into the air and say: "Accio" with the name of the object. Harry and Neville managed to get it after a few tries, practicing on their respective textbooks.

Harry was nervous about leaving the classroom at the end of the lesson, because of the Hufflepuff students. As Harry managed to walk out, he was hit with two hexes, which turned out to be from Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones respectively.

"You'll think twice before you steal Cedric's glory!" declared Hannah, who slapped Harry in the face.

"YEAH, POTTER!" spat Susan. "You're a selfish bastard to put your name in that goblet."

"How many times do I have to make it clear that I didn't do it?" asked Harry with anger. Susan also slapped Harry in the face.

"I don't appreciate liars, Potter!" Susan continued. "If I were you, I'd just admit the truth."

"Which I HAVE been!" stated Harry, only to get slapped in the face again by Hannah and Susan.

"NO more lies, POTTER!" said Hannah and Susan coldly.

They walked away, but Harry (finally having had enough) cast the leg locker curse on Susan and Hannah before heading to Professor Moody's class for Defence Against The Dark Arts. This made the two Hufflepuffs bound to their next classroom.

 _Stay tuned for more chapters!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: Like usual, J.K. Rowling owns the series. The fanfic is all I own. No copyright intended._

Ch. 4

Rita Skeeter

About two weeks have past since Harry's name emerged from the goblet, but most of the student body still treated Harry coldly, let alone almost every Hufflepuff student being the worst. Ron and Hermione still refused to believe that Harry didn't submit, much to his annoyance. Potions class (which the fourth year Gryffindors were sharing with the fourth year Slytherins) had just ended.

As Harry was packing his stuff, Professor Snape got his attention.

"Potter, can I speak with you for a minute?" he asked.

"Yes professor." said Harry, who found that odd.

Unknown to Harry, Ron and Hermione decided to tell the other fourth years there that Harry has to stay after class. Most of the fourth years just started laughing. As soon as everybody left, Snape closed the door and cast a silence charm on the door.

"How come you've been sitting with Longbottom?" he asked curiously. "Both his and your grades in this class have risen to an Outstanding."

"Well," said Harry, who was confused. "Ron and Hermione told me not to sit anywhere near them."

This got Professor Snape confused. "You three were inseperable, that was why it was odd." he said.

"They refuse to believe that I didn't submit my name in the goblet of fire." Harry admitted.

Snape was stunned. "Well, I believe you, Potter." said Professor Snape.

"You do?" asked Harry.

"Yes," said Professor Snape. "That scared look on your face the night your name out of the goblet, it was more than enough to tell me."

"Well, I was scared. When I looked at my name on the parchment, it wasn't in my handwriting." said Harry.

"I see," said Professor Snape. "If you do need any help or something, you can let me know. But it would be best if, for any reason you do need help, if everybody left the room first."

"Okay," said Harry. "Thanks professor."

"Anytime." said Professor Snape. "You might want to head to the Great Hall. You probably could get something to eat, since it's lunchtime."

"Okay," said Harry. "Thanks again professor."

"You're welcome, Potter." said Professor Snape.

Once Harry left, Snape smiled at himself, finally having warmed up to Harry. He started wondering if Lily would be proud of him for that.

Harry arrived in the Great Hall and sat down next to Neville, Fred, George, Ginny, Dean and Lee. The Hufflepuff students just glared at Harry, which Harry did his best to ignore. Professor McGonagall approached the group to talk to Harry.

"Mr. Potter," she said. "I have been instructed to inform you that you are to report to the third floor corridor. There is an unused classroom, that has a letter "T" on it's door, that's where the Triwizard champions are to report to after lunch, for a photo session, and an interview with Rita Skeeter."

"Yes professor." said Harry. "I will head that way after lunch."

"Good," said Professor McGonagall. "Enjoy your lunch."

So she walked to the staff table so she could have her meal. Soon, lunch was over and Harry started heading to the unused classroom for the Triwizard Tournament photo session. Ron and Hermione just gave Harry, yet another glare.

"That's enough," said Harry.

"No," said Ron coldly. "Not until you admit the truth!"

"I have been telling the truth," said Harry. "There's no reason..."

"Piss off, Potter!" said Hermione coldly.

Ron just stomped on Harry's foot, while Hermione slapped Harry in the face once again.

"You'll learn your lesson you PRAT!" Ron declared.

Harry cast a charm on Ron and Hermione that made their tongues stick to the roof of their mouths, then he continued heading off for the photo session, limping on the way.

Harry arrived at the same time Cedric did. They greeted each other and went in. Soon after, Fleur and Viktor arrived. Professor Dumbledore, along with Ludo Bagman, Barty Crouch Sr and Mundungus Fletcher were there. Igor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime arrived a few minutes before the photo session was due to start. Once the photo sessions were over (which the champions first had their individual photos and a group photo), Ludo Bagman stood up with an annoucement.

"Now, the first task will be on the 24th," he informed. "The task will test your courage and your best skills. You have like a week or so to get prepared."

Then Rita Skeeter stood up. "Hello, I am Rita Skeeter. I write for the Daily Prophet!" she said while shaking hands with the champions. "Now, we will start with the youngest." Rita grabbed Harry's hand and dragged him a broom cupboard.

"Okay, Harry Potter, age 12..." Rita began.

"I'm 14!" stated Harry.

"So what made you decide to enter the tournament?' asked Rita.

"I didn't," said Harry. "It was all..."

"Of course you didn't..." said Rita without actually meaning it, also ignoring Harry.

Harry just looked at Rita's quick-quote quill and notepad.

"Just ignore that, Harry," said Rita. "How do you think your parents would've reacted, proud or worried?"

"Hey, my eyes aren't glistening with the ghost of my past!" stated Harry.

"Harry Potter, age 12..." said Rita, trying to think of a headline for Harry's interview.

"I'm 14!" stated Harry in a no-nonsense voice.

"The-Boy-Who-Submitted!" Rita finished her suggestion, ignoring Harry again.

Soon, Harry was done with his interview, so he went up to the owlery to check on Hedwig. She had a letter from Sirius. It read:

 _Dear Harry,_

 _Sorry I couldn't talk to you shortly after your name came out of the Goblet of Fire. I've read about it on the Daily Prophet. We need to talk about this face to face. Meet me at midnight tonight in the Gryffindor Common Room. Make sure you are alone._

 _From,_

 _Padfoot_

After reading his letter, Harry wrote a reply to Sirius that would tell him he got his message and sent Hedwig off again, but not before stroking her feathers affectionately.

Harry decided to go for a walk around the Black Lake, to pass the time and clear his mind of negative thoughts. Harry suddenly spotted Ron and Hermione, accompanied by Seamus, as well as by Susan Bones, Hannah Abbott, Justin Finch-Fletchley, and Ernie MacMillan (who was also a fourth year Hufflepuff), by the lake shore about 150 feet away. Luckily Harry was out of sight, so he decided to hide himself really well and eavesdrop to see if they had anything to say about him.

"I should've known Potter was an attention seeker from the first day we met him," Harry heard Ron say. "He could've let me have a go at it, but no! He was too stupid and selfish because he's more concerned about his ego."

"You've got that right," stated Hermione. "It's such a shame that his selfishness and attention seeking attitude changed him."

Harry's insides started doing flip flops, making him realize that Ron and Hermione never were really friends with him.

"No kidding," said Justin, who was also a fourth year Hufflepuff, like Susan and Hannah. "He stole Cedric's chance in the spotlight."

"Yeah, attention seekers will do anything, like steal the spotlight from somebody who deserves it." said Susan.

"Not to mention Potter's willingness to cheat his way to the top." said Hannah.

"And his desire to continue lying," said Ernie. "We all know he put his name into that goblet."

"No kidding," said Susan. "Things would've gone smoother if Potter would just fess up!"

Harry could hardly believe what he was hearing. It's bad enough that they would say this to him, but also talk trash about him behind his back. Harry's anger was rising, he wanted to confront them, especially Ron and Hermione, but decided against it, correctly believing that Hermione, Susan and Hannah would just slap him in the face again, and he didn't want to deal with that. Plus, he knew he would've been outnumbered and wouldn't have a chance to take on seven students by himself.

"I'll make sure I give Potter a few choice of words myself the next time I see him!" assured Seamus. "He has already corrupted Dean and Neville."

"He also corrupted my brothers and sister!" said Ron with anger. "He even corrupted Lee."

"Potter has had his chance. He doesn't deserve being a Gryffindor anymore!" Hermione declared. "Hogwarts would've been better if he was sorted into Slytherin after all."

The rest of Ron and Hermione's group agreed at that. Harry was at a loss for words, he couldn't believe the last insults he heard. He was a true Gryffindor, nobody had the right to tell him otherwise. He angrily started running away and stepped on a stick, snapping it (without realizing that he was making noise audible enough for Ron and his group to hear), but luckily, they didn't actually spot Harry.

"I wonder what that was." said Hannah, as she and the others looked around for the source of the noise.

"Who knows," said Susan. "Maybe a unicorn or something."

"Yeah, but at least we don't have to see Potter acting like a crybaby!" said Ron, with the others agreeing with delight.

It was dinnertime and Harry went to sit with his real friends at the end of the Gryffindor table near the entrance, only to find that Ron, Hermione and Seamus were clearly making sure Harry wouldn't get to sit in the Great Hall.

"You are to leave the Great Hall right now." Ron insisted as soon as he saw Harry.

"Don't say that." said Harry.

"Make me!" sneered Ron.

"You are no longer a Gryffindor anymore." declared Hermione.

"Yeah, attention seeker!" Seamus scoffed. "You are banned from Gryffindor."

"You have no right to tell me that." stated Harry. "I don't think Professor McGonagall would approve of this."

Ron, Hermione and Seamus ignored that.

"You must leave at once!" Hermione insisted in a no-nonsense voice, pointing to the door.

Harry reluctantly left the Great Hall, not wanting to cause a scene. Unknown to Ron, Hermione and Seamus, Professors McGonagall and Snape were observing them, along with Rubeus Hagrid. Professor Dumbledore wasn't at all concerned (even though he was pretending to be), as he decided that this was part of the plan to toughen Harry up (which none of the other teachers were aware of).

Harry sat inside an unused classroom trying to keep his temper in check, as it seemed like he was disowned from Gryffindor.

Dobby appeared outside the door and knocked on the door and saying, "Harry Potter, it's Dobby!"

Harry reluctantly opened the door to let Dobby in.

"I brought you some food and some pumpkin juice from the kitchens." he said.

"Thanks, Dobby!" said Harry, managing to relax. "How did you know I was here?"

"Dobby saw it with Dobby's own eyes, sir," stated Dobby. "Dobby finds it hard that Harry Potter's best friends would do this to him."

"Is Harry Potter alright?" asked a female house elf, who turned out to be Winky, the former house elf of Barty Crouch's.

"I'll be okay," assured Harry. "If people would quit assuming that I'm a glory hound."

"Well, Winky has brought Harry Potter some tissues, and maybe some dessert to go with his meal." stated Winky.

"Thanks alot, you two, This means alot to me!" said Harry.

Dobby and Winky decided to leave Harry to his dinner, and to give him some space.

"Well, call either Dobby or Winky if Harry Potter has anymore problems." suggested Dobby.

Harry nodded, and the house-elves returned to the kitchens.

Meanwhile, Ron, Hermione and Seamus were starting to head back to the common room (since dinner was over), only to be stopped by Professor McGonagall (who was looking at the three sternly).

"You three better follow me." she insisted.

Ron, Hermione and Seamus reluctantly complied. When Professor McGonagall finished escorting the three to her office, she ordered them to sit in front of her desk.

"What can we do for you, professor?" asked Ron with false confusion.

"I think you three know why you're here!" said Professor McGonagall sternly.

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione, who was playing dumb.

"Yeah, we don't know why we're here." claimed Seamus, hoping that Professor McGonagall would fall for it, but naturally, she saw through it.

"I have a definite suspicion that you three ordered Mr. Potter to leave the Gryffindor table and to leave the Great Hall." stated Professor McGonagall.

The three were acting surprised, but Professor McGonagall naturally saw through the ruse again.

"And you won't be able to fool me. Snape, Hagrid and myself witnessed what happened!" she said in a strict voice.

The three knew they wouldn't be getting out of this.

"That's fifteen points apiece from Gryffindor, and a weeks worth of detention. If I see any of this behaviour again, the punishment will be harsher than this. You know Mr. Potter didn't submit his name into the goblet. Now head back to your dormitories." stated Professor McGonagall firmly.

"Yes professor." the three said.

So they started walking back to the common room.

"Even Potter has corrupted our head of house." Ron declared as soon as Professor McGonagall was out of earshot.

"No kidding." said Hermione and Seamus. "A true Gryffinor wouldn't do this!"

At five minutes until midnight, Harry tiptoed down to the common room to wait for Sirius. Harry spotted a newspaper article about his interview with Rita Skeeter. She wrote all that Harry said, as lies (or opposite of what Harry actually said). Harry angrily threw it into the fireplace, which activated and Sirius' face was shown.

"Harry!" said Sirius.

"Sirius!" said Harry in a loud whisper.

"I had to break into somebody else's home to use the fire," Sirius informed. "I'll have to make this quick, since it's only a matter of time before they get back."

"Okay." said Harry.

"Alright, since you didn't submit your name into the goblet, do you have an idea who might've done so?" asked Sirius.

"I don't," said Harry. "Most of the students refuse to believe that I didn't submit."

"Well," said Sirius. "Igor Karkaroff, the current headmaster of Durmstrang, was a former death eater. He put alot of other death eaters into Azkaban in exchange for freedom."

"Do you think he put my name into the goblet?" asked Harry.

"I have no clue," stated Sirius. "But whoever did it is no friend to you, Harry. People have died in this tournament centuries ago."

"Sirius, I'm not ready for this!" stated Harry with worry.

"But you don't have a choice!" Sirius reminded.

Some commotion was heard, and Harry saw a shadow coming from the spiral staircase.

"Someone's coming." said Harry.

With that, Sirius' face vanished from the fireplace. It was Ron who came down.

"Who was that you were talking to?" he demanded.

"No one." said Harry, not in the mood for Ron's games.

"Oh I see," said Ron sarcastically. "Maybe you're just practicing for your next speech I suppose."

So Ron went back to bed, too tired to deal with Harry's 'bad attitude.' Harry went to sleep on the couch, not wanting to deal with anymore accustations from his fellow Gryffindors.

 _More chapters coming your way!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: Like normal, no copyright intended. The fanfic is all I own. The series belong to J.K. Rowling._

Ch. 5

The Wrath Continues

Harry woke up a little after 5 AM, and saw Seamus glaring at him, along with Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil glaring at him as well.

"What do you think you're doing here?" asked Seamus coldly.

"I just slept out here," said Harry. "You have a problem with that?"

"Yeah," said Seamus angrily. "You not supposed to be here."

"Yeah," stated Lavender. "Attention seekers don't deserve being in here!"

"Yeah Potter, you're no longer welcome here!" Parvati declared.

"You can't kick me out," said Harry. "I haven't been expelled."

"You're still getting kicked out of the common room!" said Ron and Hermione, who had already come downstairs. "You have no use to be in here, POTTER!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH," screamed Harry. "STOP THIS BEHAVIOUR THIS INSTANT!"

Hermione came stomping up to Harry and slapped him in the face, yet again.

"We have told you that you are no longer welcome in Gryffindor." said Hermione clearly. "You are a disgrace!"

"Now get your arse out of here right now!" Ron shouted adamantly.

Harry resisted by staying where he was and fighting Ron and Seamus, which resulted in them punching Harry in the stomach. Harry even blocked Hermione, Parvati and Lavender's attempts to smack him in the face. Then Ron and Seamus picked Harry up and dropped outside the entrance. Harry started running to the entrance doors to sit by the black lake. He was so enraged that he decided not to go to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"Dobby! Winky!" Harry called out after relaxing.

At once, the two house-elves appeared by him with a crack.

"Yes, sir, Harry Potter?" They asked.

"Could you get me some breakfast please?" asked Harry. "I was told I was no longer welcome in the Gryffindor common room!"

Dobby and Winky weren't pleased to hear that.

"Dobby will do so right away Harry Potter." said Dobby.

"And Winky will do that, too." said Winky.

So he and Winky vanished to get Harry's breakfast taken care of in the kitchens.

(Meanwhile, in the headmaster's office)

Professor Dumbledore was going over his plan again with Barty Crouch Sr, Barty Crouch Jr, Mundungus Fletcher, Ludo Bagman and Cornelius Fudge.

"I heard that the Gryffindor students kicked Harry out of the Gryffindor common room." said Mundungus.

"Yeah," said Dumbledore. "It's for the best. Harry needs to be emotionally prepared, so he can fulfill his destiny"

"At least he doesn't know about the dragons." said Barty Sr with delight.

"Yeah, that's right father." said Barty Jr, who started sipping some polyjuice potion and then turned back into Professor Moody, laughing wickedly.

"Now, as long as Harry gets the highest marks, our plan is bound to work." stated Cornelius.

"We must succeed in any way we can." said Ludo. "We can't let anybody know what we're up to."

"We certainly mustn't," said Dumbledore. "Harry needs to be prepared for his destiny."

So they all got back to their planning. Dumbledore even made sure Professor McGonagall (who was also deputy headmistress) wasn't to know either.

(Meanwhile, in the school kitchens)

"Well Winky," assured Dobby, examining Winky's cooking. "That's the best cooking Dobby has seen."

"Thanks Dobby," said Winky. "Winky just needs to make sure Harry Potter's breakfast is the best."

"Dobby does, too," stated Dobby. "Harry Potter needs this, especially after what all he has been going through."

So the house-elves vanished and reappeared by Harry, giving him his breakfast.

"Thank you," said Harry. "I just hope that everybody will see the truth."

"Dobby hopes so, too." said Dobby.

"So does Winky." said Winky. "We'll leave Harry Potter to his breakfast."

So the two house-elves vanished back to the school kitchens to let Harry eat his breakfast in peace.

(Meanwhile, in the Great Hall)

Fred, George, Ginny, Lee, Neville and Dean made it to the Great Hall for breakfast, waiting for Harry. When he still didn't show up after five minutes, Fred, George and Ginny walked over to Ron and Hermione (who were accompanied by Seamus, Lavender and Parvati) to confront them.

"Alright Ron," said Ginny seriously. "Where is Harry?"

"He's just sitting in an empty classroom, acting like a crybaby!" Ron claimed with no concern in his voice.

"Why should we tell you?" barked Hermione. "He dishonored Gryffindor, so he doesn't deserve to sit at this table anymore!"

"Because we want him sitting by us." said Ginny, who was getting tired of their behaviour. "Now, I suggest you stop treating Harry like dirt, or you will be sorry."

"Like heck we are!" said Seamus sarcastically.

Lee came up to them. "Seriously Ron," he said. "Where is Harry and why haven't we seen him this morning?"

"How should we know?" asked Seamus. "We don't even want to know anyway!"

"Now let us eat our breakfast!" snapped Lavender.

So Fred, George, Lee and Ginny walked back to the end of the Gryffindor table closest to the doors.

"At least it's Saturday," said Dean. "This will give Harry some time to relax."

"Yeah," said Fred. "Ron and all of them need to quit assuming stuff they don't know!"

George looked at Ron and Hermione and their group. "This behaviour and attitude of theirs needs to stop." he said.

"No kidding," said Fred. "I'm just getting close to writing mum and telling her about Ron's attitude."

They all went back to breakfast to enjoy their meal. Meanwhile, Harry finished his breakfast and decided to take a walk around the Black Lake. He's starting to lose his patience with people accusing him of being an attention seeker. It had been almost two and a half weeks since his name came out of the goblet. Harry decided to go visit Hagrid, and walked to the front door of Hagrid's hut and knocked. Fang started barking, which got Hagrid's attention.

"Back Fang," Harry heard Hagrid say. Fang was Hagrid's dog, who was a boarhound.

Hagrid then opened the door. "Come on in, Harry," said Hagrid.

Hagrid got out some tea and rock cake and made Harry a seat to sit down on, while Fang decided to lay down next to Harry's chair.

"So how come you weren't at breakfast?" asked Hagrid with concern.

"Ron and Hermione," Harry began explaining. "They still refuse to believe that I didn't put my name into that goblet. They, along some other Gryffindors and almost all of the Hufflepuffs, keep treating me like dirt. I've already been slapped in the face countless times now, and this morning it happened again for like the umpteenth time."

"I can't believe Ron and Hermione would do this," said Hagrid. "This isn't something best friends would do."

"And to make this worse," Harry continued. "They, along with a few other Gryffindors, told me I was no longer welcome in the Gryffindor common room."

Hagrid could hardly believe what Harry was telling him, he was momentarily at a loss for words.

"Now that is inexcusable," stated Hagrid. "What kind of person would say something like that?"

This was giving Hagrid second thoughts about Ron and Hermione.

"I just can't believe that someone would say something like that." Hagrid went on. "Even Professor McGonagall would be outraged if she heard that, especially a Gryffindor saying that to another Gryffindor."

Harry finished his visit with Hagrid and decided to continue his walk around the Black Lake. Harry spotted Neville, who was accompanied by Ginny and a blonde hair third year Ravenclaw girl.

"Hey Neville, Ginny." said Harry.

"Hi Harry," said Neville and Ginny in unison. "We were concerned when you didn't show up for breakfast."

"Well, Ron, Hermione, Seamus, Lavender and Parvati threw me out of the common room, and they declared me no longer welcome." said Harry.

"How could they say that?" wondered Neville.

Ginny wasn't impressed either. "Oh," she realized. "Harry, this is Luna Lovegood."

Harry shook hands with Luna, who also had dreamy silvery eyes.

"Don't worry Harry," assured Luna. "I believe you."

Harry was relieved a bit.

"Who do Ron and Hermione think they are?" asked Ginny, outraged.

"Somebody who isn't an attention seeker." sneered the familiar voice of Ron Weasley. He was accompanied by Hermione, Seamus, Lavender, Parvati, Susan, Hannah, Justin, and Ernie.

"You all know Harry isn't an attention seeker." said Ginny, who was still outraged.

"Nice try, Ginevra!" taunted Hermione. "Potter has gone insane!"

Ginny hated being called that and got mad. The Hufflepuffs started walking toward Harry in a threatening way, much to Harry's horror.

"We're here to teach you a lesson for taking the glory away from Cedric." they said.

"I didn't sub..." Harry started to say.

"We said NO MORE LIES, POTTER!" Susan angrily interrupted him.

"We also warned you about the penalty for lying." said Hannah.

Ron and his group continued stepping toward Harry in a threatening way.

"We are here to teach you a lesson, once and for ALL!" Ron declared.

Harry immediately made a run for it (knowing that he was highly outnumbered, even with Neville, Ginny and Luna), with Ron and his group following closely. Ginny, Neville and Luna tried to help Harry, only to get put in full body binds.

Harry was undeniably scared, but Ron and his group didn't care in the slightest. Justin, Ernie, Susan and Hannah somewhat caught up to Harry (even though they weren't close enough) as they chased him toward another part of the Black Lake shore. Harry, with his back turned toward the lake was becoming more and more frightened, he was on the verge of being cornered. All of a sudden, a tree root rose up, tripping the four Hufflepuffs as they came closer to Harry, causing them to fly through the air for ten to fifteen feet (with them flying over Harry), resulting in them splashing into the Black Lake, much to Harry's surprise. Ron, Hermione, Seamus, Lavender and Parvati caught up eventually and were about to do the same thing to Harry, only for them to receive the same fate as the four Hufflepuffs. Ron and his group managed to get out of the lake, all soaking and dripping with lake water.

"This isn't over yet Potter!" They jeered, clearly making sure Harry knew that they would be back, in the form of raising their fists threateningly.

So they walked away, lucky that they weren't injured in any way. After taking some deep breaths and relaxing, Harry continued walking along the shore and found a place to sit. This was getting out of hand, their behaviour was on the verge of crossing the line. Harry thought he heard somebody giggling, so he looked around. Thinking it was somebody coming to give him some accusations, laugh at him or treat him coldly, he got up to walk around. Five minutes later, he heard more giggling. He was starting to wonder who could be giggling, so he looked around again, but didn't see anybody.

"H-h-h-helloooo!" said Harry, looking around to find whoever it was giggling. "An-an-anybody th-th-thereeeee?"

Harry reached another part of the Black Lake, where he and Professor Lupin walked to last year. Harry came here as a bit of a getaway to think things over and vent out some frustration. As soon as he turned around to look out over the lake, he saw somebody out in the corner of his eye. He slowly turned toward the person, who turned out to be Fleur's sister, Gabrielle.

"Hello!" she said in a cute voice.

This caused Harry to jump a bit and slip on the small rocks and pebbles and fall, but not injured in any way. Harry decided to lay there, wondering if he was just imagining it or if Gabrielle really was there. She walked over, sat down next to him and looked down into his eyes.

"Hello Harry!" she said, again in a cute voice.

Harry realized that this wasn't his imagination. "Uh..h-h-hiiii!" he said nervously.

Gabrielle gave a cute giggle, and smiled brightly at him. Harry just smiled back, unable to restrain it.

"My name is Gabrielle Delacour, though my friends call me Gabby." she introduced herself, holding her hand out to shake hands with Harry, who shook her hand in return. "Fleur is my sister."

As pretty as she was, Harry also liked her name, especially shortened to Gabby.

"Are you okay?" Gabby asked with genuine concern.

"Yeah, I'm okay," said Harry. "Just been on the receiving end of all these insults and accusations."

"That's been happening to me, too," said Gabrielle. "I believe that you didn't submit your name into that goblet."

Harry smiled again, even though Fleur had told him and he believed her, it still felt good to hear Gabby say it.

"Thank you, that means alot to me." said Harry with relief. "Alot of people have been falsely accusing me of having done so, even my so-called best friends refuse to believe me."

"Most of the students at my school have been telling me to get over it," Gabrielle stated sadly. "They would also say things like 'you shouldn't let Harry brainwash you,' 'Harry is bad news,' 'He is just trying to cheat his way to the top,' or anything like that."

Harry understood Gabrielle quite well, knowing she had been dealing with stuff similar to what he himself was going through.

"Though a few have supported me," Gabby continued. "Fleur included. "My best friend Kassandra and her sister Kassidy, who is Fleur's best friend, believe me."

"I also met them the day after the goblet of fire incident," said Harry. "When Fleur came up to me to apologize to me for referring to me as a little boy. She introduced me to Kassidy and Kassandra after her apology."

"I was hoping to meet you that day," Gabrielle admitted. "But because of the being brainwashed accusations, I ran off to my room, crying."

Harry felt sympathy for her, already knowing she had been receiving undeserved accusations and getting insulted unfairly.

"But I was more interested in meeting you as a person," Gabrielle went on. "The legend and the person are two different people."

Harry smiled again, relieved that Gabrielle wanted to get to know him as a person, and not as the-boy-who-lived.

"So how did that tree root unearth itself and trip Ron and his group into the lake?" asked Harry.

"I cast a spell on it to make it do so," Gabrielle admitted. "I didn't like seeing them do what they were trying to do to you."

"Really," said Harry, who was surprised. "I thought it was something like the whomping willow."

"No, I cast a spell to make sure the tree root would trip those four," said Gabrielle. "And when the other five came in to do the same thing, I cast that same spell again. I wanted to teach them a lesson."

Harry smiled once more, realizing that Gabrielle was looking out for him.

"I also saw this as an opportunity to meet you without any distractions," Gabrielle continued. "Get to know you as a person and all that."

"Wow, thank you," said Harry. "I hated to think what they might've done to me if you hadn't intervened."

Gabrielle gave a cute giggle again. "They needed to be taught a lesson," said Gabrielle. "The shocked look on their faces, especially when the tree root tripped them and left them dumbstruck, that told me that I did a great job."

She and Harry laughed. They both enjoyed each other's company. When Gabrielle gave Harry a hug, she noticed him tense up a bit.

"Sorry," said Harry sheepishly. "It's...uhh..just th-th-that I haven't been given this kind of hug."

This started making Gabrielle realize that something was up that Harry tried to conceal. But she just gave him a great big hug again, which Harry suddenly found so comforting, and he hugged her back.

"I'm sorry," said Gabrielle apologetically. "I didn't realize you'd be tense at first, Harry."

"It's alright," said Harry. "Your hugs are actually very comforting and warming."

So they just kept hugging each other. They were lost in thought that neither realized they were missing something.

"Yikes, it's almost lunchtime!" said Harry.

Gabrielle gave another cute giggle, so they left the spot by the Black Lake, where Harry and Gabrielle said goodbye to each other and started walking back to the castle and carriage respectively.

 _Stay tuned for more chapters!_


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: As usual, all rights to the series belong to J.K. Rowling. No copyright intended. The fanfic is all I own._

Ch. 6

Retribution And Revenge

Harry made it back to the castle for lunch, but was uneasy about walking into the Great Hall, naturally anticipating more insults and accusations. Professor McGonagall was about to walk into the Great Hall when she spotted Harry.

"Mr. Potter, are you alright?" she asked with concern.

"Yeah, but..." Harry started to say, but hesitated.

"No worries," assured Professor McGonagall. "If you aren't hungry, you don't have to come in."

So Harry decided to walk to the unused classroom and eat in there. Dobby and Winky managed to get Harry his dinner. He was eating peacefully, until he heard a knock at the door several minutes later. Harry kind of hesitated, not knowing who it was.

"Harry, are you in there?" asked Professor McGonagall's voice.

"Y-y-y-yess!" Harry answered. He opened the door and let Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout in.

"How come you in here all by yourself?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"I just...didn't...want to...deal with anymore of those insults and accusations." Harry admitted.

Professors McGonagall and Sprout were stunned, realizing what all Harry was dealing with.

"All of my students, except Cedric, the Hufflepuff prefects, and the Hufflepuff head boy and girl, have been accusing Harry of being an attention seeker." stated Professor Sprout.

"Yeah, and some of my students have been doing that as well," said Professor McGonagall. " Even though the Gryffindor prefects, head boy and girl haven't accused Harry of the attention seeking. I haven't heard any of the Ravenclaw students doing so."

"I haven't either," said Harry. "Although the only Ravenclaw student who told me she believed me was Luna Lovegood."

"I wonder if the Ravenclaw students are simply being neutral in this case." said Professor Sprout.

"They could be, but none of the Ravenclaw prefects, head boy and girl haven't accused Harry of cheating as well." said Professor McGonagall.

"Although some of the various students have been giving me the worst." said Harry.

"Which ones?" asked Professors McGonagall and Sprout.

"Ron, Hermione, Seamus, Hannah, and Susan have been. But Lavender, Pavati, Justin and Ernie recently joined in on what looks like Ron and Hermione's group of what may be Harry haters." stated Harry sadly. "Draco and Pansy are also involved with it in some way by the means of those buttons."

"This really is getting out of hand." said Professor Sprout. "I will have a word with my Hufflepuff students."

"Okay," said Professor McGonagall. "Mr Weasley, Miss Granger and Mr. Finnagan have just earned themselves another two weeks of detention. Miss Brown and Miss Patil will also be getting three weeks worth of detention. Enjoy your dinner Mr. Potter, you can eat in here if you wish."

"Thanks professors." said Harry.

"Oh, Mr. Potter." said Professor McGonagall.

"Yes professor?" said Harry.

"The weighing of the wands will be on the 23rd, the day before the first task." Professor McGonagall informed.

"Thanks professor." said Harry.

So Professors McGonagall and Sprout left Harry to his dinner and went to deal with what Harry had been going through since Halloween night.

In the Great Hall, Ron, Hermione, Seamus, Lavender and Parvati were enjoying their lunch, when they saw Professor McGonagall approach them. She then looked at the five with a no-nonsense look.

"You five, to my classroom at once!" insisted Professor McGonagall.

So Ron, Hermione, Seamus, Lavender and Parvati reluctantly got up and started walking to Professor McGonagall's office, which was being witnessed by Fred, George, Ginny, Lee, Neville and Dean.

"They and four Hufflepuff students tried to do something to Harry earlier," stated Ginny. "Something they assumed would teach Harry a lesson."

"Yeah, I was there too." said Neville. "They'll be in more trouble now, I just know it."

"Wicked!" said Fred and George with delight.

"Yeah," agreed Lee. "It's about time they get their just desserts!"

"No doubt about that," said Dean. "I knew if they kept up, they would be receiving their comeuppance."

"Especially with some of them cast the full body bind," stated Ginny. "On Luna, Neville and myself."

The six Gryffindors continued to enjoy their meals and chat with one another.

In Professor McGonagall's office, she closed the door as the five walked in and cast a silence charm on the door. Professor McGonagall had an angry look on her face.

"Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger," she said sternly. "What on earth do you think you're doing?"

"What?" asked Ron, pretending to be surprised.

"I have no idea what you..." Hermione started to say, but her head of house interrupted.

"You know what I'm talking about," stated Professor McGonagall. "I've been informed that you two have been forming some kind of group to antagonize Harry."

The five Gryffindors were shocked, realizing that Harry sold them out (or so they thought).

"I told you the other day that your punishments were to be harsher if this happened again!" said Professor McGonagall in a very strict voice. The five Gryffindors gulped.

"That will be 30 points apiece from Gryffindor. An extended two weeks of detention for Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger and Mr. Finnagan. This will be three weeks of detention for you as well Miss Brown and Miss Patil."

The five knew they were in deep trouble.

"And I expect to see you tonight in my classroom after dinner." said Professor McGonagall firmly. "Now I suggest you go back to your common room or outside."

The five left, but were even more angrier with Harry.

Meanwhile, Professor Sprout was having a talk with Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Justin Finch-Fletchley and Ernie Macmillain.

"I'm disappointed in you four for tormenting Mr. Potter," she said sternly. "That's 25 points apiece from Hufflepuff and three weeks of detention. Professor McGonagall expects you to be in her classroom tonight after dinner."

Professor Sprout walked away, leaving the four fourth year Hufflepuffs more angry with Harry, for being (in their opinion) a snitch. As soon as they saw Ron, Hermione, Seamus, Lavender and Parvati, they joined them. Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle approached as well.

"May the four of us join your group?" asked Draco. Ron and Hermione allowed them to join.

"Potter snitched on us!" Ron declared. "He had to get more attention by snitching!"

"He certainly crossed the line. If he shows up in the Gryffindor common room again, he WILL suffer the consequences!" stated Hermione.

"Draco," Seamus began instructing. "If possible, you, Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle should start making those badges again, maybe come up with any insult you can."

"Sure, we will certainly comply." said Draco with delight.

"Harry deserves this," Hannah and Susan declared. "Since he caused us large house point deductions and three weeks of detention..." The Hufflepuff girls groaned in frustration, "He'll be truly sorry he ever did this!" They all agreed with that.

"It's time for Potter to ride on the S.S. Swift-Kick-In-The-Butt!" declared Draco and Pansy. They all got busy with planning their revenge.

Harry, meanwhile, decided to walk on a hiking trail within the perimeter of Hogsmeade village (one that wasn't anywhere near the Forbidden Forest). He couldn't take anymore of all these insults or accusations anymore. Upon finding a rest bench, he started walking up to it, but stopped when he saw a couple of Slytherin girls. He turned around to walk away, until he heard them call out to him.

"Potter, wait." said one of the Slytherins.

Harry turned around and saw them walking toward him. "Yes, may I help you?" he asked.

"No," they said. "We just wanted to see of you were alright."

"Umm..." Harry started to say. But then one of them spoke up.

"We may not have been properly introduced Potter," said the Slytherin girl who was in Harry's year. "I'm Daphne Greengrass. This is my sister, Astoria, she is a third year."

Harry shook hands with them. They both had blonde hair, with Daphne having ice blue eyes and Astoria having bright green eyes.

"Well, we believe that you didn't put your name into that goblet." assured Daphne.

"Yeah," agreed Astoria. "You just look to be a great person. You don't look like the type of person who looks for more fame and attention."

Harry smiled, he didn't think any Slytherins would be on his side.

"We don't believe in all that Pure Blood Supremacist stuff," said Daphne. "It's idiots like Malfoy and his bunch who give Slytherin House the bad rap."

"Yeah," said Astoria. "There's more to life than being involved with anything like that."

"Oh okay," said Harry. "It was hard to tell because Ron Weasley once said that all Slytherins were jerks."

"I can't believe he would say that!" stated Astoria, outraged.

"Yeah, ruin our reputation why don't he!" said Daphne sarcastically. "I'd sure love to give Ronald a piece of my mind."

"We'll let ya get back to your walk, Harry." said Astoria.

"Yeah, it looked like you were trying to clear your mind of all that negativity." said Daphne.

"Thanks a bunch." said Harry. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too." said the Greengrass sisters as they walked away. Harry wondered if they were going to give Ron a piece of their mind. So he resumed his walk.

 _More chapters coming your way!_


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: No copyright intended. J.K. Rowling owns the series. I just own this fanfic._

Ch. 7

Dragons

It was Monday the 21st (three days before the first task), classes had finished for the day. Harry still slept on the couch in front of the Gryffindor common room fireplace. He would use his invisibility cloak to make sure everybody went to sleep (to avoid unwanted so-called confrontations) before taking it off and lying down on the couch to sleep. Harry would then leave again before most got up (though reluctantly). Dobby and Winky continued to be a huge help to Harry. They would keep an eye on Harry's invisibility cloak whenever it wasn't needed.

Harry also continued using the unused classroom for meals (also with Dobby and Winky's help in bringing his meals). Ron, Hermione and their group of tormentors were continuing to serve detention (albeit grudgingly). They were still planning their revenge towards Harry (they were happy that Draco, Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle joined the group). Harry spent most of his time outside (despite the weather getting chilly). He walked up to the owlrey to check on Hedwig, who had note for him.

"Thanks girl!" said Harry affectionately while stroking her feathers. Harry opened up the note, which was from Hagrid, and it said:

 _Dear Harry,_

 _I would like you to come by tonight (but make sure you have your father's cloak with you). Tonight at 10 PM, meet me at the front door to my hut. You will find this visit very useful!_

 _Yours Sincerely,_

 _Hagrid_

Harry wondered what this could be. So he wrote Hagrid a reply, that he would be by tonight, tied it to Hedwigs leg, and sent her off. As he walked out, he thought he heard someone giggling. So Harry looked around, but saw no one, so he continued walking. Harry decided another walk in the woods would help him clear his head of negative thoughts. He eventually found a bench he could sit on to take a little break. He began walking to the bench before somebody hugged him from behind. Harry kind of jumped, until he saw that it was Gabrielle, and relaxed, since she gave him the warmest of hugs, that showed that she cared about him, and enjoyed giving Harry genuine and affectionate hugs.

"Hi Gabby!" said Harry.

"Hi Harry," said Gabby in a cute voice. "I just thought you might want some company!"

"Thanks Gabby," said Harry. "How did you know I was here?"

"I was walking by that building you were leaving, that had that snowy owl flying out of." said Gabby. "So I thought I'd follow you to see where you were going!"

"Oh okay," said Harry. "Even though I heard giggles, I didn't see anybody."

"I have great hiding and stealth skills," stated Gabby. "You look like you have them, too!"

"Yeah," said Harry. "It's a long story why my hiding and stealth are great."

"What?!" said Gabby, surprised. "Why don't you wanna tell me?"

"I'm not sure if I'm ready to," admitted Harry. "Especially with all the ongoing insults and accusations lately."

Gabby understood and felt sympathy for Harry. She still had been going through exactly what he had been through. So she grabbed one of Harry's hands and gave it a comforting squeeze, making Harry smile.

"Would you like me to tag along with you on your walk?" Gabby offered.

"Sure, I'd love that." said Harry with another smile.

Harry and Gabby continued the walk, which they were enjoying, since they liked each others' company.

"So what was that building you were walking out of?" Gabby asked eventually.

"It's the owlery, I initially went to check on Hedwig, my owl." stated Harry.

"Oh okay," said Gabby. "Was that snowy owl Hedwig, the one I saw fly out?"

"Yeah," said Harry. "She also had a note for me. It was from my good friend, Hagrid."

"Hagrid," said Gabby. "What is his job here at Hogwarts?"

"He's the gamekeeper mainly," said Harry. "Last year was his teaching debut, he's the care of magical creatures teacher."

"That's pretty cool," said Gabby. "Having a friend who happens to be a teacher."

"He wants me to meet him tonight around 10 PM for some reason," said Harry. "I don't have any idea though."

"Maybe he wants to help you out a bit." suggested Gabby.

"Yeah, maybe he does," said Harry. "He did advise me to bring my invisibility cloak with me."

Harry realized he brought up his cloak, causing him to turn red a bit, but Gabby didn't mind as she just shrugged her shoulders.

"Hagrid seems like a nice person," she said. "To look out for you!"

Harry smiled, "Yeah. I do visit him quite often." he said. "He makes great tea and cake!"

"Wow," said Gabby, fascinated and intrigued. "I wonder how they taste."

"Maybe I can bring you along the next time I do visit him." said Harry. "As long as he's okay with it."

"That'd be great." said Gabby.

"Uh oh," said Harry, checking his watch. "Dinner is in ten minutes."

"Oops," said Gabby sheepishly. "I hadn't meant to keep you here for too long."

"It's alright, Gabby," said Harry. "You're fun to be around."

Gabby gave Harry a bright smile and another great big hug, with Harry hugging her back.

"Well, see ya later Harry." said Gabby.

"See ya later Gabby." said Harry.

Then he started jogging back to the castle while Gabby jogged back to the Beauxbatons carriage.

Harry decided to have his meal in the Great Hall this time (he didn't care if Ron or Hermione told him to leave, they had no right to do so).

"There's Harry." said Neville. This also got Fred, George, Ginny, Lee and Dean's attention.

"We sure missed you sitting with us." said Ginny.

"Yeah mate," said Fred and George. "It was getting a little lonesome without you!"

"Yeah," said Dean and Lee. "Great to see you here, Harry!"

Ron and Hermione spotted Harry, with strong disapproval. They didn't bother going to try tormenting Harry, since Professor McGonagall was watching them very closely from the staff table. Lavender, Seamus and Parvati showed distaste toward Harry. At the Hufflepuff's table, Susan, Hannah, Ernie and Justin gave Harry sour looks. Over at the Slytherin's table, Draco, Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle were looking at Harry (whose back was turned toward them), smiling wickedly. They knew Harry had no idea that they (along with the rest of Ron and Hermione's group) were planning revenge against Harry. Draco and Pansy already created buttons with a various number of insults, directed toward Harry. They were going to wait when Harry would least expect it before handing them out.

At a quarter till 10 PM, Harry left the unused classroom with the invisibility cloak on and started walking to Hagrid's hut. Harry made it and knocked on Hagrid's door. Hagrid answered it just as Harry pulled the cloak off of his head.

"Oh Harry, you're here!" said Hagrid.

"Wow, Hagrid," Harry noticed. "You combed your beard and hair, and you have a flower."

"Yes, as a matter of fact I have," said Hagrid. "Make sure you're completely under the cloak, and we shall start walking." Harry complied.

"But do stick close by." instructed Hagrid.

So they started walking to a different part of the Forbidden Forest.

"Hagrid!" called a familiar voice. It was Madame Maxime, the Beauxbatons headmistress.

"Olympe," greeted Hagrid. "It's nice to see you again."

"Likewise," said Madame Maxime. "Shall we?"

"Of course!" said Hagrid.

Harry kept close by, being very careful not to bump into them (or at least into Madame Maxime).

"Lovely night for a walk, isn't it!" said Madame Maxime.

"Of course," agreed Hagrid, who offered the flower. "Would you like a flower?"

"Why certainly, thank you Hagrid." said Madame Maxime as she took the flower.

Soon they reached a cleared out area of the forest, with some commotion going on.

"Wow, Dragons!" said Madame Maxime with fascination.

There were four large cages, that had a dragon in each one. All four of them were a different breed. As soon as Madame Maxime was away, Harry pulled the cloak off of his head.

"Dragons!" he realized. "That's the first task!"

"Yes," said Hagrid. "Ron's brother Charlie works with them in Romania. He helped bring them over here."

"I do remember Ron telling me about Charlie working with the dragons in Romania." said Harry.

Then one dragon started breathing fire toward the dragon keepers with intense aggression.

"I do say, that Hungarian Horntail has got to be the nastiest of the bunch." stated Hagrid.

"Hagrid!" greeted Charlie. "It's wonderful to see you again!"

Harry tried to hide himself again, but Charlie already saw him. "Hi Harry." Charlie continued greeting.

"Hey Charlie." said Harry.

"Good to see you to Charlie." said Hagrid.

"So how have you been Harry?" asked Charlie.

"Not so great," stated Harry. "Ron refuses to believe that I didn't submit my name for the tournament."

"How could he do that?" Charlie wondered. "He's supposed to be your best friend."

"Not to mention that Hermione also refuses to believe Harry," said Hagrid. Charlie wasn't too pleased, especially with Ron.

"But Fred, George and Ginny have been by my side," said Harry. "Lee Jordan has as well, and even Neville too."

"Well, Ron and Hermione better start thinking things over soon," said Charlie. "I've heard that they've gotten detention and house point deductions."

"Yeah, they did," said Harry. "How did you find out?"

"Fred, George and Ginny have been writing to me as well as to mum and dad." said Charlie.

"I see." said Harry.

"Well, I guess it's time for us to get some shut-eye." informed Hagrid.

"Okay," said Charlie. "Take care you two."

So Harry (while under his invisibility cloak) started walking back to the Gryffindor common room. He decided to sleep on the couch in the common room instead of the dormitory, using his cloak as a blanket.

(Meanwhile, at the Beauxbatons carriage the next morning)

Fleur and Kassidy got up for breakfast, with Madame Maxime walking up to them.

"The first task is dragons, Fleur," informed Madame Maxime. "I saw them last night."

"Thanks Madame Maxime." said Fleur.

"You're welcome, it's about time we get some breakfast." said Madame Maxime, who turned around to leave the carriage and walk up to the Great Hall.

"Gabby and Kassandra are about to get up," said Kassidy. "Shall we tell them about the dragons?"

"Yeah, we might as well tell them." agreed Fleur.

"Tell us what?" asked Gabby and Kassandra curiously as soon as they entered the living quarters of the carriage.

"Madame Maxime informed me that the first task involves dragons." stated Fleur.

This made Gabby start fidgeting with worry, believing that Harry didn't know about the dragons yet.

"You okay, Gabby?" asked Kassandra.

"I'm just afraid that Harry doesn't know it yet." said Gabby, who was on the verge of tears.

"I think Harry possibly knows about them Gabby." assured Fleur.

"Really?" asked Gabby with fright in her voice.

"Well, if you want to make sure, you can tell him sometime today after classes end for the day." said Fleur.

"Well, I'll do that. I want to make sure Harry will be okay." said Gabby.

Fleur grinned, knowing that her sister enjoyed Harry's company and genuinely cared about him.

"I wonder if you and I might start hanging out with Harry, too." said Kassandra to Kassidy.

"Possibly," said Kassidy. "He is a great guy."

"Yeah, he sure is," agreed Fleur. "He is one of the few boys who isn't affected by the veela allure."

"That does make him one-in-a-million!" said Gabby. So the four headed up to the Great Hall for breakfast.

(Meanwhile, in the Gryffindor common room)

Harry woke up and was getting ready for breakfast. Unfortunately, Ron came down the stairs and saw Harry.

"POTTER!" Ron yelled loudly enough to make the windows rattle.

"WHAT?" asked Harry, who wasn't in the mood for Ron's games, he had enough.

"Didn't we tell you not to come back in HERE ANYMORE?" barked Ron.

"No, you didn't." said Harry.

"Balderdash!" said Hermione in a no-nonsense voice as soon as she entered the common room. "You were told you were no longer welcome in the Gryffindor common room."

"Since when?" asked Harry, who was getting angry by the second.

"You know exactly when, POTTER!" sneered Seamus, who was accompanied by Lavender and Parvati.

Angelina, Alicia and Katie came down to see what all the ruckus was.

"You must leave AT ONCE POTTER!" spat Angelina.

"Or we'll throw you out ourselves!" stated Katie firmly.

"Yeah, you attention seeker," taunted Alicia. "Now get out at once."

"No," said Harry. "You have no right to..."

But Ron, Seamus, Hermione and Lavender picked Harry up, carried him out of the common room, and dumped by the entrance.

"Now don't let us catch your lying, attention-seeking face in here again!" insisted Ron and Hermione as they all went back into the common room and closed the portrait, resulting in Harry groaning in exasperation.

Fred, George and Ginny came downstairs after hearing the commotion. Seeing Ron, Hermione and the others by the entrance, they knew that they threw Harry out. Ginny spotted Harry's invisibility cloak and picked it up.

"Harry's cloak was left in here," said Ginny. "What shall we do with it?"

"We should keep it safely hidden..." stated Fred.

"So that Ron nor anyone else..." said George.

"Will try to steal it..." said Fred.

"And use it to antagonize Harry!" said George.

"Great idea," said Ginny. "We can't risk letting him be vulnerable."

Neville, Dean and Lee came down and saw Ginny holding Harry's cloak.

"What happened?" asked Neville.

"Harry was thrown out of here." said Ginny. "And his cloak was left behind."

"How will we keep it safe?" asked Lee. Just then, Dobby and Winky appeared by them with a crack.

"Dobby and Winky will look after it if you'd like!" offered Winky.

"Okay." said Ginny, handing the cloak to Dobby and Winky.

"Harry Potter has asked us to keep an eye on it for him," informed Dobby. "Whenever it's not needed."

"Great job you two," said Neville. "You both have also been good friends to Harry."

"No kidding." said Ginny.

"Winky and Dobby have even made breakfast for Harry whenever he eats in an unused classroom." stated Dobby.

"Yeah, he's been having a pretty rough." said Winky.

Fred, George, Ginny, Lee, Neville and Dean weren't pleased that the other students wouldn't give Harry a break and realize the truth.

"Well, Winky and Dobby must return to the kitchens." said Dobby. Then the house elves vanished with a crack.

"If the others don't stop with all this nonsense, Harry is gonna snap." said Ginny. "I'm already considering writing to mum and telling her what Ron, Hermione and all the others are doing."

"Yeah, this behaviour is inexcusable." said Fred. So the six headed to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Later that day, after classes were done for the day, Harry decided to walk around the Black Lake. He saw Cedric with his girlfriend, Cho Chang, with Cedric teaching her to skip stones.

"Hey Cedric!" greeted Harry.

"Oh, hey Harry, what's up?" said Cedric.

"Nothing really," said Harry uncertainly. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure." said Cedric, who followed Harry to where Cho wouldn't be within earshot.

Certain they wouldn't be heard, Harry started to tell Cedric something (unknown to them, Gabby was walking up to Harry to inform him about the dragons and to hang out with him, but she stopped when she saw Cedric), Gabby decided to listen to them, thinking it was important.

"Dragons," said Harry. "That's the first task."

Gabby quietly blew a sigh of relief, realizing Harry already knew about the dragons.

"Are you sure?" Cedric asked.

"Yes," said Harry. "I saw them when I was walking with Hagrid last night."

"Do Fleur and Viktor know about this?" asked Cedric.

"I believe so," said Harry. "Madame Maxime was there as well, and Karkaroff was likely somewhere close by at the time."

Cedric was relieved that Harry informed him. "Hey," he said. "I've been asking the Hufflepuff students to ease up on all the accusations and insults."

"Don't worry about it," said Harry. "It's their problem."

"Are you finished Cedric?" asked Cho.

Harry nodded, letting Cedric know that that was all he wanted to tell him.

"Yes, we're done." said Cedric.

"Harry, I believe that you didn't submit for the tournament." assured Cho.

"Thanks Cho." said Harry. "Well, I best be going."

"See ya later Harry." said Cedric and Cho as they walked away.

As soon as Cedric and Cho walked away, Harry started contemplating on what to do next (with Gabby, unknown to him, starting to walk up to him), but then Professor Moody walked up to him.

"Hey Potter, could you follow me to my office?" he asked.

"Yes professor." said Harry as he started following Professor Moody to his office.

Gabby groaned in disappointment with a saddened look on her face, as if fate was keeping her from hanging out with Harry. So she walked back to the Beauxbatons carriage. Harry, meanwhile made it to Professor Moody's office, where Professor Moody offered him a seat.

"That was a noble thing you did Potter," he said. "Informing Mr. Diggory about the dragons."

"Yeah, I just thought it would be fair if all the champions knew." stated Harry.

"Of course," said Professor Moody. "What kind of strategy do you have planned for the task?"

"I'm not quite sure yet." said Harry, who was confused that he was asked this kind of question when he felt he should be finding out himself.

"I've heard about your superb skills on the broomstick." said Professor Moody.

"Yeah, but I'm not allowed to take my broomstick down to the task." said Harry.

"No," said Professor Moody. "But you're allowed a wand."

"Now that I think about that," Harry went on. "I did learn the summoning charm in Professor Flitwick's class a few weeks ago."

"Excellent Potter," said Professor Moody. "You can summon your broomstick to you. What kind of broomstick do you have?"

"I have a Firebolt, professor." stated Harry.

"That broom definitely will help you out," said Professor Moody. "A Nimbus 2000 or anything like that won't be any match against the dragon, they aren't going to be fast enough against a dragons' speed."

"I guess I was lucky I got it when I did." said Harry. "Is there anything else, professor?"

"No no, Potter," said Professor Moody. "I think you've already done enough tonight."

"Well, goodnight professor." said Harry.

"Goodnight, Potter." said Professor Moody. So Harry left and headed back to the common room.

(Meanwhile, at the Beauxbatons carriage)

Fleur, Kassidy and Kassandra were outside, brushing the pegasus' when Fleur saw Gabby walking up to the carriage door with a saddened look on her face.

"I wonder what happened?" said Kassandra.

"I don't know." said Fleur.

"Maybe we should ask Gabby." said Kassidy.

"Yeah, might as well." said Fleur.

So the three went to find Gabby, who was sitting in an armchair in her and Fleur's room.

"Gabby, what's the matter?" asked Fleur.

"Oh, it seems like fate is trying to keep me from hanging out with Harry." stated Gabby sadly.

"It's okay," said Fleur soothly. "Maybe there's a chance of hanging out with him tomorrow."

"I hope so." said Gabby.

"Did you tell him about the dragons?" asked Kassandra.

"No I didn't," said Gabby. "Harry already found out. I saw him informing Cedric about it."

"That's good," said Fleur. "Harry wanted to make sure that all the champions knew about it."

"That's Harry right there," said Kassidy. "To ensure that it would be fair."

So the four went back outside to continue brushing the pegasus' and to feed them.

(Meanwhile, in the headmaster's office)

Professor Dumbledore was waiting for Cornelius Fudge, Mundungus Fletcher, Ludo Bagman and Barty Crouchs Sr and Jr to arrive. They did, so they all went over their plan once more.

"Albus, Potter found out about the dragons." informed Barty Jr, much to Dumbledore's shock.

"That wasn't part of the plan," he said. "But, does he have a strategy?"

"Yes sir, he does." said Barty Jr.

"Well, I probably should find out for myself," said Professor Dumbledore. "We do need to make sure he gets the highest marks. Our plan working depends on that."

"That's right Albus." said Cornelius. "Potter must stop that attitude of his."

"You got that right, Cornelius." said Barty Sr. Ludo and Mundungus start laughing wickedly, so they continued going over their plan, to ensure that it's fail-proof.

(Back in the Gryffindor common room)

Harry made it back and saw Fred, George, Ginny, Lee, Neville and Dean sitting by the fireplace.

"Hey guys." said Harry. The six were excited.

"Hey Harry," said Ginny. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." said Harry.

Fred offered Harry his place on the couch.

"Well, the first task involves dragons." Harry continued.

Ginny gasped upon hearing that, Fred and George were stunned.

"What's the plan Harry?" asked Neville.

"I think I'll summon my firebolt to me." said Harry. "And use my flying skills!"

"Good thinking, Harry!" said Neville.

"Brilliant mate!" said Fred, George and Lee.

Harry got to play a few games of exploding snap with the six who were by his side (he managed a couple victories, but he just wanted to have fun). Suddenly, Ron, Hermione, Seamus, Lavender and Parvati came in, with Angelina, Alicia and Katie coming downstairs, into the common room. As soon as Ron and Hermione spotted Harry, they were furious.

"POTTER," snapped Ron. "What are you doing in here?"

Harry ignored him, hoping that they would stop.

"I thought I told you never to let us catch your lying, attention-seeking face in here again." Hermione retorted.

Again, Harry ignored it. Lavender just darted over to Harry and slapped him in the face, as (in her mind) a wake-up call.

"OWWW!" yelled Harry, clutching his cheek in pain. "What was that for?"

"You were told never to come in here again!" snapped Lavender.

"And I told you all that you didn't have the right to kick me out of here!" Harry snapped back.

So Ron, Hermione, Seamus and Lavender picked Harry up once more, with Harry punching Ron in the stomach and stomping on Seamus' foot. Fred, George, Ginny, Lee, Dean and Neville got up to try to help Harry, only for Ron and Hermione to cast a full body bind on the six Gryffindors. Angelina, Katie and Alicia helped out with carrying Harry out of the common room and dropping him outside the entrance. Harry kept struggling to free himself, but it was no use. There were too many people holding on to him.

"This was your last warning, Potter!" snapped Katie.

"We will make sure you don't come back in here ever again!" said Angelina, with Hermione and Lavender shooting a venomous glare at Harry.

Harry could only watch in horror and exasperation as they all closed the portrait, then a spell was cast around the portrait (that shown a bright light). This spell was to keep the specified person out of the common room (anybody else could be added to that list). Harry could hardly believe what just happened. He truly was kicked out of Gryffindor Tower, he couldn't get up, too shocked to do so.

"Dobby, Winky!" Harry called. At once, the house-elves appeared.

"What does Harry Potter ask?" asked Dobby.

"Could you and Winky get all my stuff out of the Gryffindor common room?" asked Harry. "They kicked me out and placed a spell to keep me from coming back in. I'm concerned that my stuff will get stolen. Once you have all my stuff, could you also take it to that unused classroom?"

"Winky and Dobby will get to that right away." They said and vanished with a crack, but not before leaving Harry his invisibility cloak next to him.

The Fat Lady looked at Harry sympathetically.

"I never put my name into the goblet of fire." said Harry, hoping she would believe him.

"I believe you, Harry," said the Fat Lady. "But that spell won't allow me to open for you!"

"I understand," said Harry. "I don't want to be somewhere where most of my housemates treat me like dirt anyway!"

So Harry put his invisibility cloak over himself and started walking to the unused classroom to wait for Dobby and Winky.

Dobby and Winky managed to get Harry's stuff and vanished just in time. Seconds later, Ron and Hermione ran up to the dormitory and decided to get Harry's stuff, only to find them gone.

"Where did Potter's stuff go?" asked Ron, outraged. "I wanted to keep his invisibility cloak!"

"Yeah, and I wanted that map of his as well!" said Hermione, outraged.

"We also could've taken the firebolt, and take turns riding it!" said Ron.

Back in the common room, Fred, George, Ginny, Lee, Neville and Dean were still in the full body bind, but they still found it hard to believe that Harry really was kicked out now. While they were still in the full body bind, they were still capable of thinking. Back in the unused classroom, Dobby and Winky brought Harry's stuff to him, conjured a nightstand and a bed like Harry's in the dormitory, and helped Harry organize his stuff.

"Thanks a bunch you two," said Harry. "I don't know how to thank you enough."

"Dobby is happy to help Harry Potter!" stated Dobby.

"Winky is happy to help Harry Potter as well!" said Winky.

"We best get some sleep!" said Harry.

So they all said goodnight to each other, Dobby and Winky disappeared with a crack, with Harry taking off his glasses and putting them on the nightstand, and soon drifted off to sleep.

 _Stay tuned for more chapters coming your way!_


	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer: No copyright intended, the fanfic is all I own. The series rights belong to J.K. Rowling._

Ch. 8

The Weighing Of The Wands

It was the morning of the 23rd, Harry got up to go to the Great Hall for breakfast. Harry sat down at the end of the Gryffindor table closest to the doors. Fred, George, Ginny, Neville, Lee and Dean came to sit next to Harry.

"I've just about had it," Ginny ranted. "Ron and all of them are going too far!"

"Yeah," agreed Neville. "I do wonder if Professor McGonagall will take them to Professor Dumbledore, if they don't quit while they're still ahead."

"Perhaps," said Harry. "But I hope they see the error of their actions after the first task."

"Yeah," agreed Fred and George. "Ron and Hermione especially are letting their ego get to them."

"With Ron being the jealous type," said Harry. "His behaviour isn't a surprise!"

Ron and Hermione entered the Great Hall for breakfast, but glared at Harry when they saw him. They knew they couldn't do anything to Harry, since they still have some detentions left. Professor McGonagall saw Ron and Hermione starting to talk to Lavender, Parvati and Seamus, which made her suspicious, so she walked up to the five.

"Mr. Weasley, what are you five talking about?" asked Professor McGonagall sternly.

"Just talking about our plans for this afternoon." said Ron.

"Yeah," said Hermione. "We thought we might spend the afternoon outside."

"You'd better not torment Mr. Potter anymore. If I catch or hear of it again, there will an even harsher punishment for the five of you. Is that clear?" stated Professor McGonagall clearly.

"Yes, professor." said Ron and Hermione, while Lavender, Parvati and Seamus nodded.

So Professor McGonagall walked to where Harry was sitting.

"Mr. Potter?" she said.

"Yes professor?" said Harry.

"Just to let you know, the weighing of the wands will be today, and tomorrow before the first task starts. Just to make sure your wand works fine." said Professor McGonagall.

"Oh okay," said Harry. "Where will it be?"

"I'm not sure yet," said Professor McGonagall. "Classes will end early for the champions because of it. Enjoy your breakfast."

"Thanks professor." said Harry.

"You're welcome, Mr. Potter." said Professor McGonagall as she walked back to the staff table.

Later that day, Harry was in potions class (where he and his fellow Gryffindors were sharing with the Slytherins). A knock at the door was heard.

"Come in!" called Professor Snape.

It was Colin Creevey, a third year Gryffindor, who entered.

"Professor," he said. "I've been instructed to escort Harry to the weighing of the wands."

"Very well," said Professor Snape. "Potter, I expect you to be back this afternoon to finish your assignment."

"Yes professor." said Harry, who packed up his stuff and started following Colin.

"What strategy are you gonna try tomorrow Harry?" Colin asked.

"I do have one," said Harry. "But I'd thought I'd keep that a surprise!"

"Oh okay," said Colin. "But I believe that you didn't enter your name into the tournament, so does my brother Dennis."

"Thanks Colin." said Harry.

They walked to a kind of stadium which also had what Harry guessed was a champions tent.

"Well, good luck Harry!" said Colin.

"Thanks Colin." said Harry as he walked into the tent.

Cedric, Fleur and Viktor arrived a few minutes later with their respective headmasters (or headmistress in Fleur's case).

"Okay, it's time to weigh the wands," said Professor Dumbledore. "Garrick Ollivander will be doing the weighing."

Mr. Ollivander was the wand maker, whose store Harry bought his wand from. Harry handed his wand to Mr. Ollivander.

"Ah, yes," said Mr. Ollivander, inspecting Harry's wand. "Eleven inch long, holly wood, and phoenix feather core. It's in great condition Mr. Potter!"

He handed Harry his wand back. Mr. Ollivander went to inspect Cedric's wand.

"Twelve and a quarter inch long, ash wood, and unicorn hair core. It's in good working order Mr. Diggory!" said Mr. Ollivander after inspecting it. He then went to inspect Viktor's wand.

"Well, ten and a quarter inch long, hornbeam, with a dragon heartstring core. Very good." said Mr. Ollivander.

After he finished inspecting Viktor's wand, Mr. Ollivander went to inspect Fleur's wand.

"Nine and a half inch long, rosewood, with veela hair as a core. Inflexible, and in great condition." he said. The weighing of the wands was finished.

Harry started walking back to the castle when Fleur got his attention.

"Hey Harry," she said. "Would you like to hang out with me, Gabby, Kassidy and Kassandra?"

"I'd love to," said Harry. "But I have to finish an assignment for potions class."

"Oh okay," said Fleur. "Well, see ya tomorrow Harry."

"Alright, take care Fleur." said Harry.

So Harry went to Professor Snape's classroom while Fleur returned to the Beauxbatons carriage. Harry made it to Snape's classroom and knocked on the door, the door opened, with Snape's head poking out.

"Oh, there you are Potter," he said.

"I remember you telling me to come by and finish the assignment." said Harry. "I might as well continue."

"Okay Potter," said Snape. "But do try your best."

"I will, professor." said Harry.

So Harry continued with finishing his assignment from today's lesson.

(Meanwhile, at the Beauxbatons carriage)

Fleur made it back to the Beauxbatons carriage.

"How did the weighing of the wands go?" asked Gabby, Kassidy and Kassandra.

"It went well," said Fleur. "I did ask Harry if he wanted to hang out with us."

"What did he say?" asked Gabby excitedly.

"He was interested," said Fleur. "But he had to finish his potions assignment."

"Awww," said Gabby with disappointment in her voice. "I thought he'd get the chance this time!"

"There are other times he can hang out with us," assured Fleur.

"Yeah, don't worry Gabby," said Kassandra. "It's not the end of the world."

"I just hope Harry has a strategy for the first task tomorrow." said Gabrielle.

"We do, too." said Fleur, Kassidy and Kassandra.

So the four decided to trim the hooves of the Pegasus' and feed them. After finishing, Gabrielle decided to take a walk around the Black Lake, hoping to find Harry and hang out with him while Fleur, Kassidy and Kassandra went back inside the carriage.

(Meanwhile, in the headmaster's office)

Professor Dumbledore was going over his plan on his own this time (toughening Harry up emotionally and physically) when he heard a knock at the door.

"Come in!" said Professor Dumbledore. It was Professor McGonagall who walked in.

"Albus," she said. "We've been having a huge problem."

"What kind of problem?" asked Professor Dumbledore.

"Most of the student body still keeps treating Harry coldly," informed Professor McGonagall. "Especially Ronald Weasley and Miss Granger."

Professor Dumbledore pretended to be shocked (he figured this would help isolate Harry enough to be prepared for his destiny).

"Minerva, I'm sure it will all cool down," said Professor Dumbledore with false assurance. "Everybody will come around eventually."

He was also trying to prevent his deputy headmistress from finding out his plan.

"But they haven't relented," stated Professor McGonagall. "It seems like Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger have formed a group to torment Mr. Potter."

"I'm sure you're just overreacting Minerva," Professor Dumbledore assumed. "This will be good for Harry."

Professor McGonagall left the office, wondering suspiciously what Professor Dumbledore was up to. She never expected Albus to be up to something suspicious looking, making her wonder if he really was the kindly grandfather figure that he claimed to be.

Harry, meanwhile went to the owlery to check on Hedwig. She had a note for Harry from Sirius. It read:

 _Dear Harry,_

 _Good luck tomorrow on the first task. I would encourage you to wait a while before sending Hedwig my way again. She is too easily recognized and I can't risk her getting interrogated by ministry officials. That could also increase the odds of me getting caught again. If I were to get caught again, I'd be subject to the Dementor's Kiss. Good luck again Harry, I hope you have a plan for the task._

 _From,_

 _Padfoot_

After reading Sirius' note, Harry realized that Sirius has a point, so he turned to Hedwig.

"Hedwig, we need to wait a while on sending letters or notes to Sirius. He's concerned that you could get caught, you'd be too easily recognized." said Harry.

Hedwig had a stunned look on her face, but hooted softly to show Harry she understood the situation. Harry gave Hedwig some owl treats, as a way to say good job and to apologize. After finishing her treats, Hedwig flew up to a perch to go to sleep, so Harry left the owlrey and started walking towards the Black Lake (unknown to him, Gabby found him and was waiting to see where he would go). Gabby started to follow Harry, hoping that he would run into Fleur, Kassidy and Kassandra (so the four can hang out with Harry). Gabby managed to walk about a hundred yards from the owlery when she felt somebody's hands touch her shoulders. Gabby turned around and saw four students, a bushy brown haired girl, a tall red-haired boy, a pale, white blonde boy and a brown haired, pug-faced girl. She recognized two of them who she saw were tormenting Harry the day she and Harry were properly introduced, and the other two she didn't recognize.

"Well, well," said the bushy brown-haired girl. "It looks like we have what looks like one of Potter's fangirls."

"And where do you think you're going?" demanded the red-haired boy.

"I...I...uh..." Gabby stuttered.

"I think you must've been trying to hang out with Potter!" said the pale, blonde-haired boy.

"True, so true." the brown-haired, pug-faced girl claimed.

Gabby was at a loss for words. How could they know that she was hanging out with Harry (or trying to in this case). They shouldn't have any knowledge of that.

"But where are my manners," said the red-haired boy. "I'm Ron Weasley!"

"I'm Hermione Granger!" said the bushy brown-haired girl.

"I'm Draco Malfoy!" said the pale, white-blonde haired boy.

"And I'm Pansy Parkinson!" said the brown-haired, pug faced girl.

Gabby was starting to get frightened, she had no idea what their motives were for catching her. She saw the four wearing buttons that said: 'Potter Stinks!'

"What do you have against Harry?" Gabby asked eventually.

"He's an attention seeker," assumed Hermione. "He likes his fame and glory."

"He's also a cheat, and a liar." said Pansy.

"These are to teach Potter a lesson!" said Draco, pointing to the button on his robes.

"We are here to warn you not to hang out with Potter," Ron declared. "So stay away from him, or you will be sorry!"

"Like heck I am!" said Gabby sarcastically.

"See," Hermione claimed. "Potter brainwashed you! That proves how big of a schmuck he really is!"

"You just don't know the real Harry!" stated Gabby irritably.

"Why should we?" said Ron sarcastically. "He's a prat!"

"Stay away from Potter!" Hermione and Pansy warned.

"Otherwise, there's gonna be trouble." assumed Draco.

The four walked away, leaving Gabby to think things through (or so, they think). She wasn't going to stay away from Harry, nobody had the right to tell her otherwise. She enjoyed Harry's company, and he enjoyed her's as well. Seeing that it was getting dark, Gabby walked back to the carriage, disappointed that another chance to hang out with Harry was ruined.

It was dinnertime, so Harry headed to the Great Hall. Most of the Gryffindor students eyed Harry with distaste, but Harry ignored them and sat with Fred, George, Ginny, Lee, Neville and Dean.

"The first task is only hours away," said Fred. "Time for everybody to see who the _real_ Harry is."

"Hopefully everybody will realize the truth after it's over." said George.

"Yeah, all of these insults and accusations need to stop." said Neville.

"True dat," said Lee. "Ron and Hermione especially are in enough trouble now. We have tried reasoning with them, but they refuse to listen."

"We do try to give them chances, but they will eventually blow them if they don't see the error of their ways." said Ginny.

"Yeah," said Harry. "Hopefully, everybody will see that I didn't enter once the task is finished."

After dinner was over, Ron and Hermione went to "confront" Harry once more.

"You weren't supposed to sit at the Gryffindor table." said Ron as soon as he was certain no teachers were around.

"Yeah, Potter," spat Hermione. "Since you're no longer welcome in the Gryffindor common room, that also means you're no longer welcome to sit at the Gryffindor table."

"That's right, Potter," said Ron. "You know that. Don't sit at the Gryffindor table anymore either."

"Oh hey, Professor McGonagall." said Harry, pretending to have spotted his head of house. Ron and Hermione turned around quickly as they panicked, but didn't see Professor McGonagall.

"Made ya look!" taunted Harry as he walked away with a grin on his face.

Ron and Hermione were infuriated that they were tricked. Little did they know, Professor Snape had actually witnessed all that. Professor Snape walked to Professor McGonagall's classroom and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" said Professor McGonagall.

Snape walked in. "I have come to report something to you, Minerva." he informed.

"What happened Severus?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"I have just witnessed Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger telling Potter that he was no longer welcome in the Gryffindor common room, and they also told him he was no longer welcome to sit at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall." said Professor Snape.

Professor McGonagall was furious, finding it hard to believe that Harry had been told that by two of his fellow Gryffindor students, especially those who he used to be friends with.

"I haven't heard anything like this before," said Professor McGonagall, outraged. "Thank you for informing me about this Severus."

"You're welcome Minerva." said Professor Snape.

Both professors left the classroom, with Professor McGonagall going to find Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger, though she was surprised that Snape was helping Harry this time. Professor McGonagall found Ron and Hermione in the common room, and confronted them.

"Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger!" shouted Professor McGonagall. "I have been informed that you told Mr. Potter that he was no longer welcome in here, nor at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall."

"How do you know?" asked Ron and Hermione.

This was also being witnessed by Fred, George, Ginny, Lee, Neville and Dean, who were amazed at what they were seeing.

"Professor Snape saw the whole thing," said Professor McGonagall, clearly unimpressed. "He even notified me of that."

Ron and Hermione were getting into deeper trouble now, and they knew that.

"As another punishment," Professor McGonagall continued. "That's another three weeks of detention, 25 points apiece from Gryffindor, and you two have your Hogsmeade privileges revoked until after new years!"

Professor McGonagall left the common room, with Ron and Hermione scowling as their head of house left. They couldn't believe that a total of six weeks of detention was what they would be facing. They were mad that their Hogsmeade privileges were revoked until sometime after new years. This caused them to get angrier at Harry, assuming he was behind all this, and stomped off to their respective dormitories.

"Wicked!" said Fred and George.

"This better make them learn their lesson," stated Ginny. "Any one of these moments could be the final straw for Harry."

All six of them agreed, then they headed off to bed.

(Meanwhile, at the Beauxbatons carriage)

Gabby was sitting in the armchair in her and Fleur's room, still frightened by the encounter with Ron, Hermione, Draco and Pansy. Fleur, Kassidy and Kassandra came in and saw Gabrielle all distraught.

"Gabby, what's wrong?" asked Fleur with concern.

"Another chance to hang out with Harry was ruined," said Gabby downheartedly. "And four of his fellow students told me to stay away from him or I would be sorry."

"Which ones said this to you?" asked Fleur, who was outraged that her sister had been threatened.

"Their names are Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson!" said Gabby.

"I can't believe they would do this!" said Kassidy and Kassandra, who were also outraged.

Gabby also told them about how Ron and Hermione came to (in their opinion) teach Harry a lesson, with three other Gryffindors and four Hufflepuffs. She also told them about using a spell to trip the Hufflepuffs into the Black Lake, and then tripping the five Gryffindors, with them threatening Harry that it wasn't over. Then Gabby proceeded to tell Fleur, Kassidy and Kassandra about how she followed Harry to another part of the Black Lake shore and actually got to know Harry a bit.

"They sure needed to be taught a lesson," said Kassandra.

"Yeah, that Weasley boy sure is letting his ego get to him." said Fleur. "I'll be sure to show him a thing or two if he comes anywhere near you again, Gabby."

"Yeah, he's the one being bad news, considering that he's been threatening Harry, and now you." said Kassidy.

"I will be careful." assured Gabby.

Soon, they all went to sleep to be refreshed for the first task, especially Fleur. Meanwhile, in an unused classroom inside Hogwarts, Harry was getting in bed to get some sleep, so he could be ready for the first task tomorrow.

 _More chapters coming your way!_


	9. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer: As usual, J.K. Rowling owns the series, I just own this fanfic. No copyright intended._

Ch. 9

The First Task

Harry got up at around 6 AM and started walking to the Great Hall for breakfast. He saw Ron and Hermione standing by the Great Hall doors, giving Harry a venomous glare.

"Don't come in here Potter," said Ron firmly. "I know you set me and Hermione up for bigger punishments."

"You were caught in the act," said Harry. "And don't tell me not to go into the Great Hall."

"You caused us harsher punishments Potter," said Hermione, who was acting delusional. "Now don't bother walking into the Great Hall. Otherwise, we will sit by Fred, George, Ginny, Lee, Neville and Dean."

"Ron and Hermione are right, Potter," said Hannah, Susan, Justin and Ernie with strong distaste. "Attention seekers don't deserve eating in the Great Hall."

"When are you finally gonna realize that I didn't submit my name for the tournament?" asked Harry irritably.

"Just tell the truth, Potter," said Susan. "Admit that you submitted."

"I didn't," said Harry. "Do you really think..."

"That's enough Potter," said Hannah. "Now get lost!"

Harry groaned in frustration and walked away, back to the unused classroom.

"Serves him right!" Ron declared.

"Weasley, you'd better grow up!" said Daphne Greengrass, who made it to the Great Hall.

"Yeah," said Astoria, who also made it to the Great Hall. "Why don't you mind your own business and leave Harry alone."

"What does this have to do with me?" asked Ron sneeringly.

"We know you formed that group to torment Harry," said Daphne. "And you also want to ruin the reputation of Slytherin house."

"Yeah," said Astoria. "Not all Slytherins are jerks."

"You have proven that wrong," Hermione claimed. "Both of you Greengrass's are..."

"Hi Professor McGonagall!" said Daphne, who pretended that she spotted Professor McGonagall walking up to Ron and Hermione from behind.

Ron and Hermione panicked and looked behind them, but saw everybody except Professor McGonagall, or any teacher for that matter.

"Made ya look!" said Daphne as she and Astoria started laughing.

Ron and Hermione were now starting to receive some of their comeuppance, but they were too delusional to notice. They angrily walked into the Great Hall for breakfast.

Dobby and Winky made Harry his breakfast and brought it to him.

"Good luck Harry Potter!" said Dobby and Winky.

"Thanks a bunch, you two." said Harry. "Hopefully this task will make everyone realize that I didn't enter my name."

"We do, too." said Dobby and Winky.

So they vanished and headed back to the kitchens. Harry began eating his breakfast when he heard a knock at the door. He groaned in exasperation, thinking it could be Ron or Hermione, but went to answer the door, and found Gabby instead.

"Hi Harry!" she said.

"Hi Gabby," said Harry, surprised. "How did you know I was here?"

"I thought you'd be eating in the school kitchens, since I know about what all you've been going through" said Gabby. "But two house elves who said they knew you told me where you were and showed me the way, so I could get here faster."

"Oh okay," said Harry. "I was just starting to eat my breakfast. You can come in if you want."

"Okay!" said Gabby with a bright smile, with Harry smiling back.

As soon as Gabby walked in, Dobby and Winky appeared, making Gabby jump in surprise.

"Would Miss Delacour like Dobby and Winky to make her some breakfast?" they asked.

"Sure, yes please!" said Gabby.

So Dobby and Winky vanished back to the kitchens, and returned a few minutes later with Gabby's breakfast. Dobby and Winky vanished back to the kitchens again, so Harry and Gabby can enjoy their breakfast. As soon as they finished, Gabby just started giving Harry a great, big hug, but then started crying into his shoulders.

"Are you alright, Gabby?" asked Harry, who was genuinely concerned.

"I'm... I'm just..." sobbed Gabby. "I'm just worried for you!"

"Don't cry, Gabby," said Harry soothingly. "Please don't cry. I'll be okay. I've got a strategy to get past the dragon." He also gave Gabby a great, big hug.

"You do?" asked Gabby tearfully.

"Yes," assured Harry. "Don't worry, I won't let that dragon do anything to me."

Gabby smiled a bit, so she wrapped her arms around Harry's shoulders and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek.

"Good luck, Harry," she said. "I better get back to the carriage and talk with Fleur. See ya later."

So Gabby walked out of the unused classroom. Harry blushed because of the nice kiss he got from Gabby, so he decided remember that during the task, to motivate himself to make sure he completes it. Dobby and Winky appeared by Harry again to wish him good luck and vanished back to the kitchens.

Soon, everybody started filing outside to watch the first task of the Triwizard Tournament. Fred, George, Lee, Neville and Dean came walking up to Harry.

"Good luck, Harry!" said Neville and Dean.

"Thanks guys," said Harry, who turned toward Fred and George. "Where's Ginny?"

"I'm not sure," said Fred. "She was in the Great Hall."

"Maybe she had to use the restroom." guessed George.

"Yeah, that'd be a great idea," said Harry. "With important events like the Triwizard Tournament, it's best to go before it starts."

"Yeah, true dat," said Lee. "Well, good luck Harry."

"Yeah, good luck Harry." said Fred and George.

"Thanks guys." said Harry as Fred, George, Lee, Neville and Dean walked to the spectator seats while Harry walked toward the champions tent.

As he reached the tent, Fleur, Gabby, Kassidy and Kassandra arrived. Kassidy and Kassandra gave Harry a hug and wished him and Fleur good luck and gave Fleur a hug as well. Gabby also gave Harry a great big hug, once again wishing him good luck. Then she gave her sister a hug and wished her good luck as well and went to join Kassidy and Kassandra in the stands. Cedric and Viktor arrived soon after and they, along with Fleur and Harry, started getting ready for the task.

Mr. Ollivander started the weighing of the wands again, just to make sure they were still in great working condition. While the champions were doing their thing in getting prepared, Harry heard someone say, "Psssst!" near the tent flaps. Harry walked over there.

"Harry, is that you?" somebody asked.

"Yeah," said Harry. "It's me."

"It's Ginny," said the familiar voice. "The key here is to concentrate. Make sure you are aware of your surroundings."

"I will." assured Harry.

This was too much for Ginny, to the point where she gave Harry a sisterly hug, which Harry returned with a brotherly hug. Then the flash of a camera light lit up, and the camera itself snapping a shot of Harry and Ginny hugging.

"Well of course," said the familiar voice of Rita Skeeter, who was delighted at what she had just witnessed. "Of course, while you're young. This is what love is all about, isn't it!"

Harry and Ginny were embarrassed by the whole ordeal. Ginny gave Rita a look of strong disapproval.

"I'm guessing this will make a great news article, wouldn't it!" said Rita, with even more delight, while getting out her quick-quotes quill and notepad, embarrassing Harry and Ginny more.

"You have no business being in here Ms. Skeeter," said Viktor. "This tent is reserved for champions and their friends!"

"Now, what would you like for a headline?" asked Rita to Harry and Ginny, also ignoring Viktor.

"I'm not here for an interview!" said Ginny coolly.

"Neither of us asked for one!" stated Harry irritably.

Rita reluctantly left the tent, but was still thinking of something.

Just then, Professor Dumbledore came in with Barty Crouch Sr, Ludo Bagman, Cornelius Fudge, Headmaster Karkaroff and Madame Maxime.

"Now then, we will..." Dumbledore began, but then he noticed Ginny. "Miss Weasley," said Dumbledore as he turned toward Ginny with a surprised look on his face. "What are you doing here?"

"Sorry professor," said Ginny. "I'll just leave!"

She turned around and left the tent and headed for the stands to join her twin brothers, Lee, Neville, Luna, and Dean.

"Now then," continued Professor Dumbledore. "The first task will involve dragons."

Neither of the champions (including Harry) reacted with surprise, as Harry anticipated.

"The dragons are to test your courage. Each champion will draw a miniature version of the dragon they will face, from this bag," Professor Dumbledore went on, holding up a blue and white bag. "Each dragon will have a number on it, from one to four. Number one will go first and number four will go last. Now ladies first."

Fleur drew out the Common Welsh Green, which had the number two on it. The bag was passed to Cedric, who drew out the Swedish Short-Snout, with the number one on it. Viktor drew out the Chinese Fireball when the bag came to him, which had the number three on it. The bag was finally passed to Harry who, as he anticipated, drew out the Hungarian Horntail, with the number four on it, meaning he was the last champion to go.

"Now then," Professor Dumbledore started informing the champions. "As soon as the cannon fires to signal the start of the task, Mr. Diggory will be the first to go, then Miss Delacour, then Mr. Krum and finally Mr. Potter."

A cannon was fired, with the crowd cheering Cedric's name as he walked out, while the other three champions were continuing their preparations.

"Are you alright, Harry?" asked Fleur.

"Yeah," said Harry. "Still a little embarrassed about that ordeal with Rita."

"I see," said Fleur. "That Skeeter woman shouldn't be on the Hogwarts grounds."

"Yeah, I agree," said Harry. "Ginny was also embarrassed by it as well."

This made Fleur wonder if Gabby would have competition.

"But don't worry," assured Harry as soon as he saw the curious look on Fleur's face. "I'm not dating Ginny, it would be awkward for me."

"Oh okay," said Fleur. "I wasn't exactly sure."

"Ginny just gave me a sisterly hug," said Harry. "I was also only giving her a brotherly hug. I was good friends with her brother Ron, until he turned against me. But their twin brothers, Fred and George have been by my side as well. The Weasleys have been like an honorary family to me since I started school."

This made Fleur wonder what Harry's life was like before, but had no time for it, because at that moment, Cedric came in with a golden egg, with some burns on his face.

"I transfigured a rock into a dog to distract the dragon, but halfway through, the dragon turned it's attention back toward me." he said.

Then Cedric headed off to the first aid tent to have his burns treated by Madam Pomfrey.

A cannon was fired again, with Fleur starting to walk out onto the field to face her dragon. She eventually retrieved her golden egg. She managed to enchant the dragon to sleep, but the snoring dragon blew fire out of it's nose and set Fleur's skirt ablaze. The cannon fired a third time, signalling Viktor to start. A few minutes later, Viktor came in with his golden egg, which he accomplished by using the Conjunctivitis Curse, blinding the dragon, which ended up crushing some of the real eggs. The cannon fired for the fourth and final time, signalling Harry's turn to face his dragon, so he walked out onto the stadium. He saw the golden egg within a nest of real eggs, so he started walking toward it, only for the Hungarian Horntail's tail to crash down next to Harry, with the crowd going "oooooh!"

The dragon blew fire out at Harry, who managed to dodge it and hide behind a boulder. The dragon whacked Harry with it's tail, causing him to fly about ten feet into the air, and to land on the rocks. The crowd went "oooooh," again. This was too much for Gabby, who couldn't watch Harry getting swung at like a ragdoll. Kassandra tried the best to comfort her best friend.

Harry decided it was time to summon his broomstick, so he pointed his wand into the air and shouted, "Accio firebolt!" Harry did the best to concentrate on his firebolt while trying to dodge the hungarian horntail's attacks.

Finally, he spotted his firebolt coming toward him. When it got close enough, Harry jumped onto his firebolt, narrowly avoiding the dragon's fire in the process. The crowd cheered a bit once Harry started flying on his firebolt, who started trying to fly toward the golden egg, with no success. Harry decided to fly outside the stadium, hoping to lure the hungarian horntail away from the eggs. This proved to be a good strategy, as the dragon started flying toward Harry. The dragon somehow managed to outsmart Harry by flying around in a different route, swinging it's tail and striking at Harry, who landed on the roof of one of the towers.

Once Harry spotted his firebolt (which was, unfortunately, hooked on the windowsill), he started reaching for it, which wasn't easy, since he had to be careful and not fall off. Harry managed to grab the firebolt, but couldn't get it unhooked from the windowsill. Looking up at the hungarian horntail on the roof, Harry desperately tried to get his firebolt unhooked, with little use. The dragon then started to snap it's mouth at Harry, who dodged it. This also allowed Harry to get his firebolt unhooked, but they both started falling, and Harry managed to climb back onto his firebolt and start flying once more, with the hungarian horntail, once more, trying to fly after Harry.

The dragon blew fire at Harry once more, who barely dodged it, and continued flying toward a bridge that had glassless windows and a roof over it. Harry flew through one of the windows, resulting in the hungarian horntail crashing through it, knocking it out and causing it to fall to it's death, but not before roaring at Harry in anger.

The hungarian horntail's angry roar in defeat echoed loud enough for the spectators back at the stadium to hear. They were wondering what happened, since they still didn't see Harry. Gabby was really starting to get worried now.

"Where is Harry?" she asked with her worry intensifying every second.

Then fifteen seconds later, the unmistakable sound of the flying broom was heard, and Harry flew back to the stadium and he was now in plain view of the spectators. The crowd started cheering wildly, especially Gabby.

"YES, YES! HE DID IT, HARRY DID IT!" she shouted happily, also relieved that Harry made it back.

Harry flew down to the nest and grabbed the golden egg, and then walked to the first aid tent, so Madam Pomfrey could tend to his injuries. After his injuries were treated, Harry walked out of the tent, where Fred, George, Ginny, Lee, Neville, Dean and Luna were waiting for him.

"Bloody brilliant, mate!" said Fred.

"Best flying I've seen so far!" said George.

Dean gave Harry a pat on the back and gave him a congratulations.

"You sure showed that dragon!" said Neville.

"Yeah, no doubt about that!" said Ginny.

"This calls for a celebration later this evening!" said Lee.

"Awesome job on the flying, Harry!" said Luna.

"Thank you everybody!" said Harry.

The other champions also walked up to Harry.

"Incredible!" said Viktor. "Your flying skills are...like...undeniably incredible!"

"Thanks Viktor!" said Harry, while shaking his hand. "Your flying skills are incredible, too." Viktor smiled at the compliment.

"Excellent job, Harry," said Cedric. "No dragon would've been a match for your flying!"

"You truly have excellent flying skills," said Fleur. "That dragon never counted on that happening!"

Charlie Weasley came up to Harry as well. "Way to go, Harry," said Charlie. "That was... just... extreme! The best I've seen!"

"Thanks Charlie." said Harry. Just then, Ron and Hermione walked up to Harry.

"Well," said Ron, somewhat nervously. "I just came to tell you..."

"Tell me what?" asked Harry, who wasn't sure what Ron's intentions were.

"Well, I forgive you." said Ron.

"For what?" asked Harry.

"I forgive you for submitting your name into the goblet." said Ron.

Harry was outraged by that. "Newsflash," said Harry. "You and Hermione are the ones who owe me an apology."

"Don't even start this nonsense, Potter!" spat Hermione. "We know you submitted. Just admit it, it's that simple!"

"Ron," said an outraged Charlie. "You apologize to Harry right now!"

"Attention seekers don't deserve an apology," Ron declared. "He's only lying that he didn't submit, just for attention."

"Yeah, Ron has a point," Hermione claimed, who then turned to Harry. "You are despicable. We tried to forgive you, but to continue lying is just making this worse, Potter!" With that, Hermione walked away, then Ron spoke once more.

"You better stay away from my family," he hissed. "And you especially stay away from Ginny, or you'll be sorry!" Ron walked off after that, with the other Weasleys looking at him in disbelief.

"Don't worry, Harry," assured Charlie. "You're always welcome in the family!"

"Yeah," said Ginny. "Ron has no right to forbid you from hanging out with us. That's mum and dad's job, and they always enjoy your company, Harry!"

"True dat, mate!" said Fred and George. Harry smiled and relaxed.

"Well, see ya later Harry," said Charlie. "Hope to see ya again soon!"

"Take care, Charlie!" said Harry as Charlie left to go back to Romania.

"I guess we ought to come up with some pranks against Ickle Ronnykins!" said Fred and George with delight. "Give him and Hermione a taste of their own medicine!"

"Yeah," agreed Lee. "We ought to do just that!" With that, Fred, George and Lee walked away.

"Well," said Ginny. "I guess we better be off."

So she, Neville and Luna walked away. The four champions weren't able to leave yet, as they still needed to be given their scores. Harry was in first with 45 points, Viktor in second with 40 points, Cedric in third with 35 points, and Fleur in fourth with 30 points.

"Now," Ludo began informing the champions. "The golden egg will give you a clue on how to pass the second task. Without it, there's little chance of succeeding. The second task will on February 24th, so you all have time to figure out the clue for the second task."

With that, the champions left the tent and headed to the Great Hall for lunch.

At lunch, Harry decided to sit at the Gryffindor table with Fred, George, Ginny, Lee, Neville and Dean. Most of the student body eased up and were (at the most) neutral towards Harry. Some of the students (mainly Ron and Hermione's group) were resentful that the dragon didn't kill Harry. Harry ignored the glares he received from those people. Angelina, Alicia and Katie also eased up some, but they refused to reinstate Harry as the Gryffindor seeker (as they still believe that Harry submitted his name for fame and glory), much to his annoyance, even Fred and George were stunned that they wouldn't let Harry continue to be seeker.

"Don't worry, Harry," assured Ginny. "It's them who have the problem, not you."

"Yeah," said Fred and George. "Wood wouldn't be too happy about this. You helped him achieve his dream, Harry!"

Harry smiled at that special moment near the end of last year. "I wonder if playing for United Puddlemere is working out well for him." said Harry.

"Same here." said Fred and George.

After lunch was over, Harry walked to the owlery to check on Hedwig.

"Hey girl!" he said affectionately and stroking her. "Could you send a letter to The Burrow?"

Hedwig hooted with delight. "Mr and Mrs. Weasley are probably worried sick, I gotta make sure they know I'm alright." said Harry.

So Harry wrote a letter to Mr and Mrs. Weasley, that read:

 _Dear Mr and Mrs. Weasley,_

 _Just to let you know, I passed the first task, and currently in first place. Despite all that, Ron still refuses to believe that I didn't submit my name in that goblet. Even Hermione refuses to believe me, and I was certain all that would go away after the task was finished. They claimed that I owed them an apology, when they are the ones who owe me an apology. Hope all is well, and I hope to see you soon!_

 _Yours Sincerely,_

 _Harry Potter_

Harry finished the letter, then gave Hedwig some owl treats and sent her off to The Burrow.

"Hopefully, this will make Ron and Hermione realize the error of their actions." he said to himself. "Now how am I gonna let Sirius know I'm alright?"

Just then, Dobby and Winky appeared by Harry. "Dobby and Winky could help if Harry Potter want them to!" said Dobby and Winky.

"Okay," said Harry. "Could the both of you make sure that Sirius gets a letter from me?"

"Dobby and Winky certainly will!" assured the house-elves. So Harry wrote a letter to Sirius that read:

 _Dear Padfoot,_

 _I managed to get past the first task. I have the most points, with 45. I followed your advice and didn't send Hedwig your way. I requested these house-elves, Dobby and Winky to help this time. They were more than willing to do so. Hope you're safe!_

 _From,_

 _Harry Potter_

After finishing, Harry turned back to Dobby and Winky. "Are you gonna be able to find Sirius?" he asked. "Even though he's innocent, he has to stay hidden and he could be anywhere."

"House elf magic works a bit differently, Harry Potter." said Dobby.

"Yeah, Dobby and Winky will make sure Sirius gets his letter." assured Winky.

So the house elves vanished and went to find Sirius.

Harry went for a walk around the Black Lake to pass the time. He spotted Ginny, Neville, Luna and Dean about fifty feet away.

"Hey y'all!" Harry greeted.

"Hey Harry!" They said.

"Where are Fred, George and Lee?" asked Harry.

"They're in the common room," stated Ginny. "They're planning some possible pranks against Ron, Hermione and their group of tormentors."

"I see," said Harry. "They already received some of them, and it seems like they're asking for more."

"No kidding," said Luna. "They need to learn their lesson."

"So where were you Harry?" asked Ginny.

"I was sending Hedwig to deliver a letter to your parents," said Harry. "To let them know I made it through the first task. I also told them about Ron and Hermione's behaviour toward me."

"Ron and Hermione are going too far," said Dean. "They ought to quit while they're still ahead."

"Yeah," agreed Neville. "Surely, they weren't raised this way."

The five spent some time skipping stones, before the Greengrass sister came walking by.

"Hey, good job at the task, Harry." said Astoria.

"Yeah, it was incredible." said Daphne.

"Thanks a bunch!" said Harry.

The other four were curious that a couple Slytherin students weren't being jerks.

"Daphne and Astoria are good people," assured Harry. "They don't believe in all the pure blood supremacy."

"Yeah, we want more in life." said Daphne.

"We don't want to live under alot of stress it brings." stated Astoria.

Just then, Ron, Hermione, Draco and Pansy came walking by.

"Well, well," taunted Draco. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that Potter has brainwashed the Greengrass sisters!"

"We never believed that Harry submitted," said Astoria, outraged. "You bunch are delusional idiots!"

"Yeah, he's a nice guy," stated Daphne. "He's not an attention seeker!"

"See," sneered Draco. "This is what hanging out with Potter will do to someone!"

"Yeah, Greengrass," taunted Pansy. "Potter has been bad news since first year."

"Why don't you just leave us alone." said Neville firmly.

"Shut up, Longbottom." snapped Ron.

"Yeah, nobody asked you for any stupid suggestions!" hissed Hermione.

"Neville has a point," said Luna. "You should leave us alone while you have the chance."

"Wow, Loony Lovegood is sticking up for Longbottom!" mocked Pansy. Luna got mad for being called Loony. Draco decided to do something really bad, and punched Luna in the stomach.

"OWWWWW!" said Luna, clutching her stomach, and started crying.

Ron, Hermione, Draco and Pansy just started laughing with delight. Harry, Ginny, Dean, Neville, Daphne and Astoria were outraged at what they witnessed. Neville was so mad that he summoned his Gryffindor courage, marched over to Draco and punched him, square in the nose, knocking Draco to the ground.

"That was a bad thing to do, Draco," said Neville, outraged. "You should never hit a girl. I don't wanna see that again!"

Ron, Hermione and Pansy immediately stopped, terrified at seeing Neville stand up for somebody. They secretly decided that they would let Neville have it once they got the chance, and helped Draco to his feet and they walked away, but not before shooting Neville a glare that said that he would be sorry. Dean, Daphne and Astoria helped Luna up and helped with escorting her to the hospital wing. Harry and Ginny stayed with Neville to comfort him. As soon as Neville calmed down, he started shaking with fear, he was scared at what he just did.

"Wow, Neville," said Harry, surprised. "Where... Where did that... come from?!"

"That was a brave thing to do." said Ginny.

"Mr. Longbottom!" said the familiar voice of Professor McGonagall, who was walking by and witnessed the incident. "I...I haven't seen..." She was at a loss for words.

"It wasn't Neville's fault, professor." said Ginny.

"That's not why I'm surprised," said Professor McGonagall. "That was a great deal of courage, coming to Miss Lovegood's rescue."

Neville felt proud of himself, but was still shaking all over.

Professor McGonagall was stunned, but proud of Neville, despite punching Draco.

"Well, Mr. Longbottom," she said. "I'm going to have to give you some form of punishment for punching a student."

"What will the detention be?" asked Neville.

"I think that maybe helping Professor Sprout clean up the greenhouses will do some good for you." said Professor McGonagall.

"Okay." said Neville, since he was good at herbology.

"In spite of the circumstances, that's 75 points to Gryffindor. We can talk to Professor Sprout and see if she needs help first." said Professor McGonagall.

"Yes professor." said Neville.

So Professor McGonagall walked back to the castle, wanting Neville to calm down before heading back to the castle.

"I'm still scared about the situation," Neville continued. "I didn't want to do that, but something inside me told me to come to Luna's rescue."

"It's alright, Neville." assured Harry, patting him on the back. "You did what you had to do."

"Yeah, it's alright to be scared," said Ginny. "You summoned your courage and Luna will be grateful that you came to her rescue."

Neville smiled. "I guess this detention will be worth it." he said.

"Let's take a walk, it'll help calm you down." said Harry as he, Neville and Ginny got up to walk around the Black Lake.

 _More chapter's coming soon!_


	10. Chapter 10

_Disclaimer: As usual, no copyright intended. The series belong to J.K. Rowling. The fanfic is all I own._

Ch. 10

The Daily Prophet Of Doom

After their walk, Harry, Ginny and Neville headed back to the castle, since Fred, George and Lee want to throw a party to celebrate Harry's completing the first task, with some help from Professor McGonagall, who secured a fifth floor unused classroom for the party. Fred, George and Lee opted to keep the door open (but they cast a certain spell or two around the doorway). Harry, Ginny and Neville made it just as Lee was putting up some crepe paper streamer.

"There you are," said Lee as he spotted the three. "You're all thirty minutes early though, but what the heck!" This caught Fred and George's attention.

"Welcome, you three!" said Fred.

"Would you like some help?" offered Harry.

"Nah, but if you want to," said George. "The more help, the faster the party can start."

So Harry, Ginny and Neville started helping Fred, George and Lee. With fifteen minutes to spare, Harry decided to write down a list of guests to have invitations delivered to. Just then, Dobby and Winky appear with a crack, with Dobby handing Harry a letter.

"Here's your letter, Harry Potter!" said Dobby.

"Thanks Dobby," said Harry as he grabbed his letter and pocketed it.

He got the envelopes with the invitations and handed Dobby and Winky a stack of them.

"Dobby, this stack of invitations here, four are for certain Beauxbatons students," stated Harry. "Their names are Fleur and Gabrielle Delacour, and the other two are their best friends, Kassidy and Kassandra Kraymor. And the fifth one here is for the Durmstrang champion, Viktor Krum."

"Yes sir, Dobby will make sure they get their invitations!" said Dobby as he vanished to get his errand taken care of. Then Harry turned to Winky.

"Winky," Harry continued. "These invitations here are for Dean Thomas, a Gryffindor student, Cedric Diggory, a Hufflepuff, two Ravenclaw students, Cho Chang and Luna Lovegood, and two Slytherin students, Daphne and Astoria Greengrass."

"Winky will get to this right away Harry Potter." said Winky as she vanished to get the invitations taken care of.

Harry created a second copy of the guest list to hand to Lee, who offered to help Harry keep an eye of the doorway by standing outside of it, to make sure no uninvited guests could come in. Professor McGonagall came by to check the classroom out, but faced Harry and Lee first.

"How will you keep uninvited guests out of here?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"Fred, George and I have a trick up our sleeves." said Lee.

"I must check it out for myself," said Professor McGonagall.

"Don't worry professor," assured Lee. "It's not a harmful spell or charm. It's just going to be enough to keep unwanted guests at bay."

Professor McGonagall nodded in understanding and walked in. Soon after, the party guests who were invited start making their way to the unused classroom. Harry and Lee stood by the doorway outside the classroom, making sure that no uninvited guests would come and likely cause trouble, particularly Ron and Hermione, as well as their group of tormentors. Inevitably, Ron and Hermione found out about the party, and decided to "confront" Harry once more. Ron and Hermione made it to the fifth floor unused classroom, shooting Harry a venomous glare when they arrived.

"What are you doing here?" asked Harry, who wasn't in the mood for their behaviour.

"I want an explanation for excluding us!" demanded Ron.

"And so do I!" said Hermione angrily.

"You didn't deserve an invitation," stated Harry. "Because of the way you've been treating me since Halloween."

"Fine," said Ron and Hermione with clear hatred in their voices. "We'll show you what happens when attention seekers and liars like you don't have any more decency to invite their friends, and certainly for those who won't admit the truth!"

They started marching toward Harry, while Lee, Professor McGonagall and the twins watched. As soon as Ron and Hermione got close enough, they heard some kind of high-pitch noise that got louder the closer they were to the door.

"Ahhh!" said Ron, rubbing his ears.

"Owww!" said Hermione, rubbing her ears as well.

They attempted to try their stunt again, only for the high-pitched noise to come back.

"What was that noise?" asked Ron and Hermione irritably.

"What noise?" asked Harry, Lee, Fred and George. "We don't know what you're talking about!"

Ron and Hermione growled in frustration.

"Fine," they said. "You'll be sorry Potter! Mark our words!"

So Ron and Hermione left to warn their group of tormentors not to try to crash the party. Professor McGonagall was surprisingly amused.

"What kind of charm was that?" she asked Fred and George.

"It's a high-pitch noise charm," they explained. "If unwanted guests get too close to a specified person or area, the charm activates and makes the high-pitch noise get louder if they continue to proceed."

"Oh okay." said Professor McGonagall in understanding.

"We figured something like that would happen," said Fred. "So George and myself cast that charm, to ensure that there wouldn't be any trouble."

The invited guests started arriving one by one, with Cedric and Cho arriving first. Harry would scribble a check-mark next the name of the guests who have arrived. Neville left and came back some minutes later, escorting Luna to the party. Harry smiled, wondering if there was a possibility that Neville and Luna were becoming romantically involved. Viktor Krum arrived shortly after, followed by the Greengrass sisters, as well as Dean. The last to arrive were Fleur, Gabby, Kassidy and Kassandra. Gabby just gave Harry a great, big hug, with Harry returning that with one himself, which caught Lee's attention.

"Well, let's get the party started!" said Harry enthusiastically.

"Alright!" said Lee with excitement.

Harry was walking around the classroom, making sure everybody was having a great time.

"Hey Harry, would you like to dance?" offered Gabby when Harry walked by her, Fleur, Kassidy and Kassandra.

"Uhhh..." said Harry nervously. "I don't know how to dance."

"I can teach you if you want!" Gabrielle offered again.

"Well, okay," said Harry. "But don't blame me if I accidentally step on your toes."

So Harry started practicing his dancing, Fleur opted to watch it, to see if Harry was getting better. After five tries, with Harry having accidentally stepped on Gabby's toes twice, he finally got it. Professor McGonagall was watching it as well, with a rare smile as she was relieved that Harry was having a good time.

Meanwhile, Draco and Pansy made their way to the classroom, hoping to crash it. Upon spotting the Greengrass sisters inside the classroom, they angrily attempted to walk in, only to experience the charm Ron and Hermione dealt with.

"Dang, Professor McGonagall is in there!" noticed Pansy.

"Yeah, let's leave before we get in trouble!" said Draco.

So they reluctantly left. Harry managed to get better at dancing, with Gabby and Fleur's help. Harry also got to dance with Fleur, Kassidy and Kassandra. Even the Greengrass sisters got to dance with Harry some. Harry also spotted Neville holding his hand out to Luna and offering her to dance with him, which she accepted. Viktor happened to be dancing with Ginny, which Fred and George were witnessing.

"How cool is that?" they asked each other.

Once Viktor finished dancing with Ginny, she went to dance with Harry a little bit. Soon, the party was coming to an end, with the last thing to have Harry open his golden egg to work out the clue for the second task. Harry opened it, only for intense wailing to be heard, forcing Harry to close it back up. The guests all said goodnight to one another before leaving, with Gabby giving Harry another great, big hug, and Harry giving her one, too.

"Hey Harry," said Neville. "Great job at the first task once more. Your flying skills just keep getting better."

"Thanks Neville!" said Harry.

"Well, while Luna and I were dancing," said Neville. "I asked her to be my girlfriend."

"And I gladly accepted," said Luna excitedly. "He earned it, for defending my honour!"

"Congratulations Neville!" said Harry.

"Thanks Harry!" said Neville. "I'm gonna escort Luna back to the Ravenclaw common room."

"Okay," said Harry. "Goodnight you two."

"Goodnight Harry." said Neville and Luna before walking to the Ravenclaw common room. So Harry went back to his unused classroom, so he could read the letter from Sirius.

When Harry got to his unused classroom, he saw Hedwig, tapping her beak on the window. So Harry opened it to let Hedwig in.

"Hey girl." said Harry affectionately and stroking her.

Hedwig held her leg out, with a letter tied to it. Harry untied it and gave Hedwig some owl treats, and then Hedwig flew back to the owlery. He opened the letter from Sirius first, and it read:

 _Dear Harry_

 _Great job on getting past that's amazing that you're in first place. That was a great idea to send those house-elves my way. Hopefully, with that strategy, everything will cool down a bit to where Hedwig can start delivering the letters. Stay safe and make sure you stay prepared for the next two tasks._

 _From,_

 _Padfoot_

Harry put his letter from Sirius into his trunk, and opened the letter Hedwig brought, which turned out to be from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, which read:

 _Hi Harry,_

 _Great job with completing the first task. Fred, George and Ginny have also been keeping us notified on what's been going on. We are disappointed in Ron for turning his back on you. We also find it hard to believe that Hermione did so as well. We certainly didn't raise Ron this way, and we don't think Hermione's parents raised her this way either. We have sent a letter to Ron, advising him to quit this behaviour of his. We already know he and Hermione have caused large house point deductions, as well as six weeks total of detention. If Ron does cause further problems, don't hesitate to inform us. Ron needs to get over his jealousy and realize that actions have consequences._

 _Yours Sincerely,_

 _Mr. and Mrs. Weasley_

After reading the letter, Harry relaxed a bit. He put the letter from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley into his trunk, then got ready for bed. He took his glasses off and placed them on the nightstand and went to sleep.

Harry got up around 6 AM. He decided to eat his breakfast alone, believing that Ron and Hermione were going to cause further problems in the Great Hall.

"Dobby, Winky!" Harry called. The house-elves appeared.

"What does Harry Potter request?" they asked.

"Some breakfast please," said Harry. "Ron and Hermione were angry at me for not inviting them to that party last night, even though they didn't deserve it."

"We will get you your breakfast, Harry Potter." assured Dobby and Winky.

So they vanished back to the kitchens to prepare Harry's breakfast. Meanwhile, students were starting to file into the Great Hall for breakfast. Fred, George, Ginny, Neville and Dean took their seats and started eating.

"I'm guessing Harry isn't here because of Ron and Hermione." said Ginny.

"Yeah," said Lee. "They claimed Harry would be sorry for excluding them from the party."

"But they didn't deserve an invitation." said Fred.

"Yeah, they got mad for no reason, but they're too delusional." stated George.

After breakfast was over, the six Gryffindors were walking outside, until Ron and Hermione stopped them.

"How do you explain this?" Ron asked Ginny, holding a copy of the Daily Prophet and handing it to her. The news article was:

 **Harry Potter: The-Boy-Who-Toys-With-Affections**

 **By Rita Skeeter**

 _Harry Potter, also known as The-Boy-Who-Lived, was caught hugging and kissing a young red-haired lady by the name of Ginevra Weasley, daughter of Arthur Weasley, who is the head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office. Ginevra was so worried that she came into the champions tent to give Harry a hug and kiss, indicating that they are a couple. Harry and Ginevra declined comment, claiming that they had none. It looks as though Harry wasn't willing to admit to dating young Ginevra, who was so happy that she hopes to marry the boy who lived and live happily ever after. This has made quite a bit of girls jealous. No official word has been reported as to what her brother, Ronald has to say about this._

 _We spoke with a few Hogwarts students about this. Pansy Parkinson, a fourth year Slytherin, stated that Harry Potter will do anything to win the affections of any girl he can. Draco Malfoy, also a fourth year Slytherin, has stated that Harry tends to go after girls out of his league, as proven when Ginevra, an ugly red-haired girl, was caught making love to Harry before the first task. Pansy Parkinson, a pretty brown-haired girl, has also added that since Harry has cheated his way into the tournament, he just wants all the fame and glory for his own selfish needs. Susan Bones, daughter of Amelia Bones of the DMLE, has also mentioned that she and her best friend, Hannah Abbott, have tried to get Harry to admit that he was lying and was trying to take the glory away from Cedric Diggory, son of Amos Diggory. More on this as it develops._

"Ha ha ha ha ha!" said Ginny with heavy nervousness.

She then buried her face into her hands, shaking her head back and forth. She was highly embarrassed by the article, as she was never dating Harry.

"WHAT HAVE YOU GOT TO SAY FOR YOURSELF?" shouted Ron and Hermione, outraged.

"I was never d-d-d-dating H-H-Harry." Ginny nervously replied, trying to defend herself.

"You shouldn't believe what Rita writes..." said Fred.

"SHUT UP!" yelled Ron. "Potter has crossed the line. I warned him to STAY AWAY FROM GINNY!"

"Oh grow up, Ron." said George angrily. "I'll bet you also spoke with Rita!"

"What!" exclaimed Ron. "No, I haven't!"

Meanwhile, Harry made it outside, contemplating on possibly visiting Hagrid, only for a spell to hit him on his feet, making him trip.

"Well, well," said the sneering voice of Draco Malfoy. "Look who decided to walk by!"

"Yeah," said Pansy sneeringly. "Looks like you have a little talk with Ron Weasley in a couple minutes. Let's pick Harry up and escort him over to where Ron and Hermione are!"

Harry could see the rest of Ron and Hermione's group, making him gulp, as there was no way he could escape and certainly no way he could fight back (since there were so many of his tormentors surrounding him. Susan and Hannah helped Draco and Pansy with picking Harry up to his feet.

"You are to follow us and the group!" Draco insisted.

Harry couldn't say anything, too terrified to speak, not knowing what all that was about. Harry started getting more and more terrified as soon as they got closer and closer to where Ron and Hermione were, and when they made it there, Harry gulped harder.

"Here he is, Ron!" said Draco.

Ron came up to Harry, grabbed him by his shirt collar and dragged him over to a corner. Harry had never seen Ron as angry as he was now.

"How do you explain this?" asked Ron with pure rage, holding up the article of the Daily Prophet.

"I'm not dating Ginny." stated Harry.

"Didn't I WARN You to stay away from Ginny?" asked Ron, ignoring Harry.

"You don't the right to forbid me from..." Harry began saying.

"That's enough, Potter," snapped Hermione. "You know that Ron forbade you from being anywhere near his family!"

"I was never dating Ginny. You mustn't believe what that Skeeter woman wrote." said Harry.

"I ain't gonna be fooled by that," said Ron. "Now stay away from Ginny, and I...MEAN...IT!"

"AND SO DO I!" bellowed Hermione. Ron moved to the side, allowing Draco to approach Harry.

"Here's the penalty for being a liar, manipulator, an attention seeker, and a FILTHY PRAT!" Draco said. He raised his wand at Harry to perform a curse at him, but then...

All of a sudden, Draco seemingly disappeared. Harry then saw a white ferret where Draco had been, somehow bouncing up and down. It turned out to be Professor Moody, who (with his wand pointed at the Malfoy scion) transfigured Draco into a ferret.

"That... is... despicable behaviour!" said Professor Moody as he continued bouncing ferret Draco up and down, and moved him towards Ron, making the ferret go up his shirt sleeve.

Ron started shrieking a bit, until the ferret fell out. Ron and most of his group disbanded to avoid more reprisals. Harry and those who supported him were amused. Professor McGonagall came by.

"Professor Moody," she said. "Is... is that a student?"

"Technically, it's a ferret!" said Professor Moody.

Professor McGonagall points her wand at the ferret, silently using ' _finite incantatem,_ ' to see if the ferret was really a student. As soon as Draco returned to normal, he got up and looked around, wondering who did that to him, humiliated. Draco then turned around and spotted Professor Moody, realizing he did that.

"My father will hear about this!" he declared. But a spell hit Draco, stopping him in his tracks.

"Your daddy is gonna be no help." said Professor Moody.

"Alastor," said Professor McGonagall sternly. "We _never_ use transfiguration as a punishment. Surely Dumbledore told you that?"

"He might've mentioned it." said Professor Moody while rubbing his chin.

"You will do _well_ to remember that!" stated Professor McGonagall firmly.

"I could've taught young Malfoy here a lesson that..." said Professor Moody.

"Look, we give detentions Moody," stated Professor McGonagall. "Or we take points away from the offender's house, and/or we speak to the offender's head of house."

"I'll do that then," said Professor Moody, and faced Draco. "That'll be fifty points from Slytherin. I've also been looking forward to a little chat with Severus. Come on you."

Professor Moody grabbed Draco by the shirt collar and dragged him toward Professor Snape's office. Professor McGonagall walked away, as soon as she was gone, Pansy shot Harry a venomous glare before walking away.

(Meanwhile, at the Beauxbatons carriage)

Gabby was brushing a pegasus when a classmate approached.

"See Gabby," said her classmate, holding up a newspaper. "This is why Harry Potter is bad news."

Gabby looked at the Daily Prophet article, mentioning Harry's supposed relationship with Ginny Weasley. This made Gabby gasp, believing that she now had competition. So she ran inside the carriage to her and Fleur's room, casting a silence charm on the door.

"She'll eventually realize that Harry Potter is an attention seeker." said another Beauxbatons student.

Meanwhile, Fleur, Kassidy and Kassandra came back into the carriage after finishing their walk, heading for Fleur and Gabby's room. Fleur opened the door, unwittingly ending the silence charm around the door, and witnessed Gabby crying.

"Gabby, what's wrong?" asked Fleur.

"This newspaper..." Gabby tearfully replied, holding the newspaper article up.

Fleur took it and read the article, furious that Rita had written a lie, yet again.

"Gabby, don't believe the article," said Fleur. "Harry isn't dating Ginny."

"Really?" asked Gabby with some relief in her voice, while sniffling.

"Yeah," assured Fleur. "Rita Skeeter writes a bunch of lies. Harry even told me that he's not dating Ginny."

"Oh okay," said Gabby, calming down. "I was worried that I have competition."

"Don't let that article get to you," said Kassidy. "Yeah, anything that Skeeter lady writes is a lie."

Gabby relaxed even more, so she, Fleur, Kassidy and Kassandra headed to the Hogwarts Great Hall for lunch.

 _More chapters coming your way!_


	11. Chapter 11

_Disclaimer: As usual, no copyright intended, J.K. Rowling owns the series. I just own this fanfic._

Ch. 11

The Unexpected Task

Everybody started filing into the Great Hall for lunch. Ron attempted to stop Harry from entering.

"Hey Potter, you'd better not go..." he started to say, but Harry, having had enough, just grabbed Ron by the shirt collar and yanked him out of his way, much to Ron's shock.

As Harry sat down, Fred and George patted him on the back and said, "That was genius Harry. Ickle Ronnykins needs to learn his lesson!"

"Shut up!" Ron says to Fred and George as he passes by.

"Make us!" said Fred and George in a mocking voice.

Ron grumbled under his breath and sat down. After lunch was over, Professor Dumbledore stood up from the headmaster's chair and walks up the podium for an annoucement.

"Now," said Professor Dumbledore. "After I finish making my annoucement, all Hogwarts students will go to the respective classrooms of their respective heads of houses, where they will be given specific details that will happen on Christmas night. This goes for the Beauxbatons students when they are to return to their carriage where Madame Maxime will give them the details, and the Durmstrang students will return to their ship, where Headmaster Karkaroff will give the details. Now, let's all get going!"

So everybody started filing out of the Great Hall.

Harry and the rest of his fellow Gryffindor classmates entered Professor McGonagall's classroom. Ron and Hermione angrily watched Harry, clearly wanting to teach him a lesson, but they couldn't due to the increased risk of Professor McGonagall catching them in the act. As all the Gryffindors sat down, Professor McGonagall walked out of her office.

"Alright," she said. "As Professor Dumbledore mentioned, there will be an event on Christmas Day night. This event is called the Yule Ball. This event starts at 6 PM and lasts until midnight. It helps with interacting with our guests. Students third year and below aren't allowed to attend unless they are invited by a student who is a fourth year and above."

Professor McGonagall brought out a record player for practice.

"Now," Professor McGonagall went on. "You all are to be on your best behaviour at the Yule Ball. I expect you all to behave like Gryffindors. I will not tolerate you all acting like a bambling, bumbling band of baboons. Now it's time to practice the dance for the Yule Ball."

Everybody got up for practicing, with Harry no longer worrying about accidentally stepping on anybody's toes. Soon, the Gryffindors were dismissed to do what they planned to do until dinner.

"Wait, Mr. Potter." said Professor McGonagall. Harry stopped to face his head of house.

"Yes professor?" he asked.

"To give you a heads up," said Professor McGonagall. "It is crucial that you find a date for the ball. The three champions, where in this case, four will be starting the opening dance. Is this understood?"

"Yes professor," said Harry. "Understood."

"Good, well enjoy your afternoon." said Professor McGonagall.

So Harry left the classroom, wondering who he might ask to the ball.

Harry went outside for some fresh air, only to be "confronted once more" by Ron and Hermione, who were also accompanied by Draco, Pansy, Susan and Hannah.

"I want an explanation for this!" Ron demanded, holding up a letter he had received from his mum.

"You are to read it this instant!" insisted Hermione, so Harry took the letter which read:

 _Ronald Weasley,_

 _I'm outraged by the fact that you turned your back on Harry. Your jealousy is becoming a bad influence on you. This behaviour of yours is inexcusable. I'm kind of surprised that you haven't been expelled. It's also an outrage that Hermione even turned her back on Harry. You better start realizing the error of your actions right now. If I hear of anymore of this behaviour, there's going to be alot of trouble for you._

 _From,_

 _Mum_

Harry just stood there silently.

"Well, what have you got to say for yourself?" barked Ron.

"That you WILL realize that I've been telling the truth all along!" said Harry.

"Wrong answer!" snapped Hermione.

"You've corrupted my mum and dad," assumed Ron. "Your attention seeking behaviour is inexcusable!"

"I'm not an attention seeker!" snapped Harry.

"Fine," said Ron with pure rage. "We'll just keep you here until..."

"Oh, I think Professor McGonagall is on her way out here." said Harry.

Ron and Hermione panicked and ran off. Susan and Hannah stepped up to Harry.

"That newspaper article Rita Skeeter wrote was entertaining," taunted Susan. "It just shows that you're letting your ego get to you."

"Yeah," assumed Hannah. "You're allowing yourself to be corrupted, and you did that to our head of house! Because of that, Professor Sprout is no longer in her right mind!"

"No girl in their right mind will want to go to the Yule Ball with you," Susan assumed. "Attention seekers like you will also brainwash any girl for personal gain!"

"You don't deserve any friends!" Hannah and Susan declared, leaving Harry stunned.

They walked away as Draco and Pansy "confronted" Harry as well.

"Thanks alot, Potter," said Draco sarcastically. "You have also corrupted Professor Snape."

"Thanks to you," Pansy scowled. "He gave Draco two months of detention and deducted seventy-five points from Slytherin."

"Well, am I surprised!" Harry replied with sarcasm. "You were caught in the act by Professor Moody."

"You still corrupted Professor Snape, you DOLT!" said Draco.

"Yeah, Draco is right," said Pansy. "Now you have to receive a penalty!"

With that, she slapped Harry in the face. "That's for corrupting our head of house," Pansy continued. "And this is for causing Draco his detentions!"

She slapped him in the face again, making Harry cringe in pain. "Oh," Pansy went on. "This is also for causing the large point deductions from Slytherin!"

So she slapped Harry in the face a third time, enough to make Harry close his eyes tight.

"Now be thankful that I'm not giving you anymore!" said Pansy as she and Draco walked away (making sure their smirks were hidden).

"Good thing I took Felix Felicis beforehand," Draco whispered to Pansy. "Otherwise, Potter would've retaliated."

The two Slytherins continued smirking secretly as they walked away. Just when Harry thought it was over, Angelina, Alicia and Katie decide to "confront" Harry.

"We would've been sympathetic, Potter." said Katie.

"But all that was to teach you a lesson!" spat Angelina.

"Did the first task wake you all up?" asked Harry, doing his best to fight back the tears. "Didn't that tell you that I never wanted to be in this STUPID tournament?"

"I will not be spoken to like that!" snapped Angelina.

"Ron and all of them have a point. It's time to stop lying and just admit you were just trying to steal the spotlight from Cedric!" said Alicia.

"Yeah," said Angelina. "You've already been stripped of your position as seeker, and that's official, and you won't be getting it back!" Alicia and Katie agreed to that.

"Professor McGonagall won't be pleased by that, since that would be her job," said Harry. "Oliver wouldn't be happy to hear this either!"

"You LEAVE him out of THIS!" snapped Katie.

"I helped to get those Gryffindor victories, and helped Oliver acheive his dream," reminded Harry. "Treating me like dirt is a poor way to repay me!"

The three Gryffindor chasers ignored Harry's reminder and walked away. So Harry went for a walk in the woods, outraged that this was all a repeat of his name emerging from the goblet of fire incident. He made it to the Black Lake shore that showed an island. Harry started walking to the island, thinking that it could be useful for isolating himself from most of the student body. This treatment he'd been receiving has been getting out of hand. Harry started walking back to the castle, but then he behind some tall bushes as soon as he heard footsteps. He then cast a one-way privacy charm, where he could hear everything outside of it, but nobody could hear him, as he layed down on his stomach to peek out through the bottom. The footsteps were that of Ron, Hermione, Draco, Pansy, Susan and Hannah, clearly looking for Harry to tell him they weren't finished with their so-called confrontations.

"I guess Potter decided to be a coward, yet again!" declared Ron. "He'll be sorry for throwing me and Hermione off track!"

"Yeah, you should've seen Pansy slap him in the face three times." said Draco.

"Hopefully that'll be enough to teach him a lesson." said Pansy.

"He just keeps making this worse," said Susan. "If he would just admit the truth, we would've been able to put all of this behind us."

"Ron and I tried to assure Harry that we would forgive him," said Hermione. "But he just continued lying."

"Yeah, his attention seeking attitude remained," said Ron. "Just proves how big of a prick he really is."

"He shouldn't be having any friends," assumed Hannah. "People should just realize what kind of egotistical person Potter really is!"

"I warned him to stay away from Ginny," stated Ron. "If I see him anywhere near Ginny again, ooooh, he'll be sorry!"

The rest agreed and continued walking, intending to find Harry. Harry waited until they were out of sight, but waited a little longer, just to be safe before emerging and started heading back to the castle.

(Meanwhile, in the headmaster's office)

Professor Dumbledore was going over the next part of his plan with Barty Crouchs Sr and Jr, Mundungus Fletcher, Ludo Bagman and Cornelius Fudge.

"Now, since the Yule Ball is on the night of Christmas Day," said Professor Dumbledore. "Harry needs a date!"

"Who shall be his date to the ball?" asked Cornelius.

"I would think Miss Weasley or Miss Granger would be suitable choices!" stated Professor Dumbledore.

"Yeah," said Mundungus. "At least he has to start the next task first!"

"True, very true!" stated Ludo.

"We do have to make sure that Harry Potter remains in first place," stated Barty Sr desperately. "The plan must succeed!"

"That's right, father," said Barty Jr. "Our plan depends on that!"

"Yeah, it's the only way to toughen Harry up!" assured Professor Dumbledore.

So they all went back to going over their plan once more, to make sure it would remain fail-proof.

Over at the Ministry of Magic, Amelia Bones, director of the DMLE, was looking for Cornelius. As she started heading back to her office, she saw Rita Skeeter's Daily Prophet article about Harry supposedly being the boy-who-toys-with-affections. Amelia was angered, already knowing that Rita was notorious for writing lies. Upon reading the article further, Amelia was outraged upon finding out that her own niece also fed Rita some lies about Harry. Amelia started shaking with anger, vowing to herself that she'll give Susan a stern talking to at the first opportunity.

 _To be continued!_


	12. Chapter 12

_Disclaimer: As usual, no copyright intended. J.K Rowling owns the series. The fanfic is all I own._

Ch. 12

Pansy's Scheme

The next day, after breakfast, Harry walked over to the owlery to check on Hedwig. The snowy white owl was happy to see her owner, so she flew down to greet him with an affectionate hoot.

"Hey girl!" Harry greeted, stroking Hedwig affectionately. "How are you?"

Harry gave Hedwig some owl treats. As soon she was finished, Hedwig stretched her wings and flew back to her perch. With that, Harry left the owlery and started walking toward the Black Lake. He sat down on a tree stump and looked out over the lake. A few minutes later, he heard footsteps approaching him, so Harry turned around, only (to his disappointment) to find Pansy Parkinson walking toward him. Pansy stopped in front of Harry as soon as she got close enough.

"Okay," said Harry. "What did I do this time?"

"Oh nothing," said Pansy with a smug grin. "We just need a little chat!"

This made Harry suspicious. He couldn't understand why Pansy wasn't treating him with her usual animosity attitude. Nevertheless, Harry decided to see what Pansy had to say.

"Well, what is it that we need to talk about?" asked Harry.

"It has come to my attention that we are betrothed!" said Pansy.

"Wait... what?" asked Harry. "What is that?"

"Betrothed means to be engaged to get married," Pansy explained. "In this case, it is by contract!"

"Ummm, okay," said Harry uncertainly. "But why would you wanna be betrothed to me?"

"My father says it is something that pure bloods do," stated Pansy. "But, he advised me to start with dating before getting engaged. That way, it would ensure true love."

"But, you're supposed to hate me!" exclaimed Harry, who could hardly believe his ears. "Why would you even want to date me in the first place?"

"Everybody deserves a second chance," said Pansy. "If they try to prove it, that is!"

"Um, I don't know," said Harry, who started getting a gut feeling. "Do I even have some time to... um... think things through?"

"Oh, sure," said Pansy. "As long as you have an answer by the 18th of December!"

"Well, uh... okay." said Harry. "I guess I have some... time."

With that, Pansy walked away to leave Harry to think things over. Harry was really getting suspicious. As soon as Pansy walked well out of Harry's earshot, she approached where Draco, Crabbe and Goyle were hiding. They all had a wicked smile over their faces.

"Well, I told him." Pansy informed. "He said he would think things over."

"Excellent!" said Draco. "Won't he be surprised when he comes looking for you the night of the Yule Ball!"

"Yep," said Pansy. "We can then declare what kind of person Potter really is, and to make it clear once and for all!"

"So true," said Draco. "Once he does come looking for you, I'll take that as the oppurtunity to declare that Potter is not only an attention seeker, a prat and a liar. But I'll also declare that he enjoys toying with other peoples' affections and denounce him as a girlfriend stealer!"

""Yeah!" said Pansy excitedly. "Let's go inform the rest of the group about this!"

With that, Draco, Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle walked back into the castle to inform Ron and the rest of the group what their plan for revenge would consist of. The four were, however, unaware that four girls, Ginny, Luna, Daphne and Astoria were eavesdropping in on their plan. The four were horrified at what they heard.

"That is just wrong!" said an outraged Ginny.

"Yeah," agreed Astoria. "Harry doesn't deserve this kind of treatment!"

"We have to give him the heads up," said Daphne. "He'll be extremely vulnerable if he doesn't know that he's being set up."

"Yeah, we better do that immediately," stated Luna. "Public humiliation is just too horrible!"

"We do need to make sure that we notify Harry of this while in private!" stated Ginny

So the four walked back to the castle to look for Harry and inform him of what was going on. Meanwhile, Harry was walking through the hallways, minding his own business, when Hermione decided to stop him, giving Harry a stern look.

"Well, what is your answer?" she asked harshly.

"What answer?" asked Harry. "You didn't ask me any question that you want or need an answer to!"

"Going to the Yule Ball with Pansy," said Hermione. "That's what I want the right answer for!"

"How did you find out?" asked Harry.

"Draco and Pansy brought it up," said Hermione. "You'd better not turn Pansy down, or you _will_ be sorry!"

"Are you blackmailing me?" asked Harry irritably. "That's never a good..."

"Did you agree to go to the ball with Pansy?" interrupted Hermione.

"Yeah, did you?" asked Ron, who walked up to the two.

"No!" said Harry. "It's way too early for an appropriate answer."

"Well, Pansy asked me to get an answer from you, Potter!" snapped Hermione. "She asked me to do it right now!"

"Well, in that case, NO!" stated Harry firmly. "My gut feeling told..."

"Yeah, yeah! Always trust your instincts, why don't you!" taunted Ron. "There's nothing bad that will happen!"

"You are gonna take Pansy to the ball!" insisted Hermione. "Is that clear?"

"No, it isn't," said Harry. "I ain't going with anybody who is willing to treat me like crap!"

"Wrong answer!" said Hermione. "Now, you'll pay the penalty for turning Pansy down!"

So Hermione raised her hand to slap Harry in the face. Harry promptly dodged it by ducking, which in turn, caused Hermione to slap Astoria (who Harry was unaware that she and Daphne were behind him) in the face, as hard as possible. This resulted in gasps, especially from Daphne, who couldn't believe that the _insufferable know-it-all_ slapped her little sister. Hermione's slap left a noticeable red mark on Astoria's left cheek. In turn, Astoria glared at Hermione, one that Hermione had never seen before. Hermione smiled nervously, as if to say that it wasn't as bad as it looked. None of Harry's supporters were fooled by that, especially Daphne and Astoria, and this caused Hermione to laugh nervously.

"Why... you... LITTLE... BITCH!" yelled Astoria, whose glare at Hermione turned icy.

Hermione gulped nervously, knowing that she was in for it now. So she turned around and ran down the hallway, with a still angry Astoria chasing after her.

"COME BACK HERE, YOU!" Astoria screamed as she continued chasing Hermione.

Their running footsteps started getting quieter. Soon, Hermione and Astoria were no longer in sight. Harry blew a sigh of relief, but still felt guilty over getting Astoria involved.

"That was brilliant, mate!" said Fred and George, who patted Harry on the back.

"Yeah, that was genius, Harry!" said Daphne.

"Thanks," said Harry. "But I didn't intend to get Astoria involved!"

"No worries, Harry," assured Daphne. "Astoria is not just doing this for payback, but also wanted to teach Granger a lesson for turning her back on you!"

"Oh okay," said Harry, who started feeling more at ease. "But I still could've done it myself."

Ron glared at Harry, clearly letting Harry know that he wasn't proud of Hermione getting chased away.

"You'll be sorry you did that!" declared Ron, with clear hatred in his voice.

"It was Hermione's fault. She shouldn't have tried to slap me in the first place." stated Harry.

"Yeah," mocked Fred and George. "Ickle Ronnykins can't afford anymore trouble!"

Ron started stomping toward Harry, shooting him a threatening glare. Fred and George were prepared to defend Harry.

"You'd better not do it, Ron!" said Harry.

"Why shouldn't I, POTTER?" asked Ron angrily.

"Because, I heard Professor McGonagall is on her way walking down this hallway!" said Harry.

Ron panicked and started running off, intending to find Hermione. Fred and George were impressed with Harry, seeing that he was giving Ron a taste of his own medicine. Harry decided to walk outside for some fresh air, while Fred and George went to find Lee. Harry was walking on the path that lead to Hagrid's hut. Seeing that there was no light on inside Hargrid's hut, Harry decided on a walk in the woods. All of a sudden, Harry felt somebody hugging him from behind, and turned around to see Gabby.

"Hi Harry!" said Gabby in a cute voice.

"Hi Gabby!" said Harry. "How are you?"

"I'm good," said Gabby. "Just decided on a walk in the woods!"

"Oh okay," said Harry. "For some fresh air or exercise?"

"Both," said Gabby. "But also wanted to hang out with you!"

Harry smiled at that. He enjoyed Gabby's company, and she enjoyed his as well.

"So what happened a little while ago?" asked Gabby. "I heard some talking going on about something Hermione did before I walked into the woods."

"Well," said Harry. "She tried to force me to do something. But she decided to try and slap me in the face again, which I dodged. That caused Hermione to slap Astoria Greengrass in the face."

"What did she do to Hermione?" asked Gabby.

"That I don't know," said Harry. "I saw Astoria running after Hermione, but I'm not sure what she must've done to Hermione. Seeing her glare, Astoria probably beat up Hermione eventually."

"I see," said Gabby. "What did Hermione try forcing you to do?"

"Make me answer a question about going to the Yule Ball with Pansy Parkinson." said Harry.

This caused an inner panic for Gabby. She wasn't quite sure if Harry was willing to go to the ball with Pansy or not.

"But," said Harry. "I've been leaning toward saying..."

"YES!" interrupted the voice that was Pansy's.

Pansy (who seemed to be full of rage) was walking toward Harry, and she wasn't pleased to see him chatting with Gabby.

"What do you think you're doing?" Pansy asked Gabby. "I didn't give you permission to chat with Harry. He's MINE!"

"I don't need anyone's permission except Harry's!" said Gabby.

"Oh yes you DO!" screamed Pansy. "Harry and I are betrothed. You stay away from him, got it?"

Gabby didn't answer, knowing that Harry wouldn't want to date someone who was more interested in Harry's fame, rather than genuine affection. Gabby was beginning to get angry.

"I don't like your tone, nor attitude!" said Gabby.

"I'll show you who has attitude!" yelled Pansy as she walked toward Gabby threateningly.

Harry could only watch as Pansy (who appeared to be going berserk, and getting more and more aggressive) started chasing Gabby away, threatening to beat her up if she walked anywhere near Harry again. As soon as Pansy was away, Harry reluctantly started walking to the Great Hall for lunch, but worried at the same time for Gabby. Pansy, meanwhile chased Gabby for about five hundred yards before turning around and walking back to the castle, but not before threatening Gabby with beatings if she came anywhere near Harry again. Gabby started walking back to the Beauxbatons carriage, clearly in tears. As soon as Pansy made it back to Draco's hiding spot, the two started grinning mischievously.

"Another successful attempt," said Draco with glee. "Good thing we had Felix Felicis, otherwise Potter and his friend would've fought back!"

"True, very true." said Pansy in agreement.

So the two Slytherins walked back to the castle. As soon as Harry made it to the Great Hall, he sat down at the Gryffindor table, at the end closest to the doors. Fred, George, Ginny, Neville, Lee and Dean took their seats next to Harry. Ron came walking in with Hermione, who had a black eye, some bruises, and some rashes and scrapes on her legs, a clear sign that Astoria had beaten her up for slapping her in the face and leaving that slap mark on her face. Hermione eyed Harry with a dangerous glare and growled at him in a voice as dangerous as a rabid animal.

"You'll be sorry that you caused this!" Ron said to Harry through gritted teeth. "You will pay for this _mark_ my words, Potter!"

Harry rolled his eyes, as he was no longer surprised that Ron was being his old jealousy self. Fred, George and Ginny shook their heads in disgust. Ron and Hermione sat down with Seamus, Lavender and Parvati, who also glared at Harry.

"Well, after lunch we can go down to Hogsmeade!" said Lee.

"Great idea!" said Fred and George.

"Yeah, I've been wanting a goblet of butterbeer!" said Neville.

"Yeah, no kidding," said Harry. "It's delicious!"

Soon, lunch was over, and the seven Gryffindors headed off to Hogsmeade with the other third year and above students who had permission. Ron, in an attempt for revenge, followed the seven out to Hogsmeade (despite having his Hogsmeade privileges revoked). Seamus, Lavender and Parvati accompanied Ron while Hermione stayed behind to lay down on the couch in the Gryffindor common room. She, too was planning revenge against Harry, and had to make sure Harry would least expect it.

Meanwhile, in Hogsmeade, Harry decided to visit Honeydukes Sweetshop. Fred, George and Lee headed to Zonko's Jokeshop. Dean went to the Three Broomsticks, while Neville went to look for Luna. Harry was browsing the sweets when Daphne tapped his shoulder.

"Oh hey, Daphne," said Harry. "Is Astoria okay?"

"Yeah," said Daphne. "She'll be in here shortly."

Just then, Astoria walked in and saw Daphne talking to Harry.

"I saw Hermione in the Great Hall at lunch." said Harry.

"Yeah," said Astoria. "She kept yelling on about me supposedly being brainwashed. That just made it worse for her."

"You definitely showed the _insufferable know-it-all!_ " said Daphne.

"She'll be sorry to try that again." said Harry.

"Yeah," said Astoria. "She truly will."

Pansy walked in and spotted the Greengrass sisters talking to Harry, so she approached them.

"Daphne, Astoria," Pansy instructed. "A minute of your time, if you please!"

Seeing the stern look on Pansy's face, Daphne and Astoria left with her, grudgingly without saying goodbye to Harry. As soon as Harry saw them walking further away, he decided to go to the Three Broomsticks, in an attempt to throw Pansy off track. Harry walked in, wondering if he should find a table or sit at the bar.

"Hey Harry," Neville called out. "You can sit here if you want!"

Harry sat down at the table where Neville was, also accompanied by Luna.

"Thanks Neville," said Harry. "But I didn't want to interfere with your date!"

"It's all good," assured Neville. "Luna and I have only been here for a couple minutes."

"Oh okay," said Harry. "You were having a good time, and I didn't want to ruin it."

"No worries," assured Neville. "Do you have any idea who you'll go to the ball with?"

"Not yet," said Harry. "Hermione definitely won't go with me, and I don't care, since she turned her back on me, like Ron did."

"There's still time," said Neville. "Luna and I have been practicing our dance for the ball!"

"That's wonderful Neville," stated Harry. "You sure showed your Gryffindor courage by staying by my side!"

"And it feels great," Neville admitted. "My gran would be proud of me!"

"She definitely would be," said Luna, while she squeezed Neville's hand.

"I did intend to tell you about talking to Luna before," said Neville to Harry. "But, due to all the unfair accusations and insults you've been receiving, I never got that chance, since you've been distancing yourself from everyone else!"

"It's all good Neville," said Harry. "So how did all that start?"

"Well," Neville started explaining. "Since my gran didn't want to go to the Quidditch World Cup, I couldn't go either. Sometime after it, we went over to Luna's house, where gran went to help Luna's father out with something. I never did find out what it was, as gran said it was confidential. Luna and I started talking a bit, but we were both nervous."

"Yeah," said Luna. "But then, Ginny, Fred and George found out. Ginny helped me out with talking to Neville. Fred and George have also been helping Neville out with talking to me."

"That's wonderful." said Harry.

The Three Broomsticks door opened, and in walked Ron, clearly looking for Harry. He spotted Harry and approached him.

"Hermione is even more angry with you," said Ron. "You are to come with me, so Hermione can punish you."

"For what?" asked Harry. "I didn't do any..."

"You caused her to get beaten up," hissed Ron. "Now come along quietly!"

The door opened again, and in walked Professor McGonagall, along with Professor Sprout and Hagrid. Professor McGonagall spotted Ron and started walking toward him.

"Professor McGonagall is coming this way." stated Harry.

"Nice try, Potter," said Ron. "I've caught on to your little ploy."

"No really," stated Harry. "She's coming this way."

"I ain't falling for..." Ron said.

"Mr. Weasley!" said Professor McGonagall sternly. "What do you think you're doing here?"

Ron turned around, realizing Harry was right. Ron smiled nervously.

"Hi professor," said Ron while laughing nervously. "F-f-fancy seeing you here."

"I believe that I revoked your Hogsmeade privileges until after new years," said Professor McGonagall. "Now head back to the castle. Your Hogsmeade privilege revocation has been extended for the rest of the school year. Don't let me or another teacher catch you here in Hogsmeade again until then, or you will lose the opportunity to attend the Yule Ball."

Ron angrily left to go back to the castle, secretly vowing more revenge toward Harry in the process. A minute or so later, Ginny walked in with Daphne and Astoria.

"Oh, there you are, Harry." said Ginny.

"What's going on?" asked Harry.

"Well, Pansy seems to be setting you up," informed Ginny. "Daphne and Astoria were mentioning that."

"Yeah, I got this terrible feeling that Pansy was up to something," stated Harry. "Claiming that she and I were betrothed."

"Yeah, that was she said to me and Astoria." said Daphne.

"I really hate to think what she has up her sleeve." said Astoria.

"That's why I'm staying away from her," assured Harry. "I don't want to think what her plan is."

"Great thinking, Harry," said Ginny. "By the way, I told Professor McGonagall about Ron sneaking into Hogsmeade, and Ron doesn't know that!"

"That explains why Professor McGonagall spotted him upon entering." said Neville.

"I best be going," said Harry. "I'm going to go walk outside for some fresh air. Ginny, Daphne and Astoria, thanks informing me about Pansy."

"Anytime Harry," the three girls said at the same time. "Be careful."

"Don't worry, I will." said Harry as he got up and left the Three Broomsticks.

As soon as Harry left the perimeter of Hogsmeade, he called out to Dobby to bring him his invisibility cloak. Dobby did so and vanished back to the kitchens. Harry threw the cloak over himself and walked back to the castle. Right outside the front gate, Harry spotted Ron and his group, chatting about something. With the invisibility cloak still over him, Harry snuck over toward them and stopped about fifty feet away from the group and decided to eavesdrop.

"Well, Potter got me into trouble, yet again!" Ron assumed. "My Hogsmeade privileges have been revoked again, until the end of the school year."

"Yep, the attention seeker strikes back!" said Ernie sarcastically. "He's certainly doing all of this for the good of his ego."

"Yeah," said Hermione. "He even caused me to get beat up by Astoria Greengrass!"

"Who does Potter think he is?" wondered Hannah with strong distaste. "This attitude of his proves that he never was as nice a person as I thought!"

"He certainly tends to look for more attention, fame, and money!" Susan assumed. "He just wants to be the richest and most famous wizard in Britain."

"Yeah. At least he doesn't know about our revenge!" said Pansy, checking to make sure only her and the group were the only ones who knew.

"Certainly," said Draco. "We're gonna make him go to the Yule Ball with Pansy."

"Then I'll lead him toward Draco," said Pansy. "And Draco will take that opportunity to publicly humiliate Potter by denouncing him as a girlfriend stealer!"

"Excellent," said Justin. "This will get Potter out of the way. We'll have the real Hogwarts champion, Cedric, there without worry of the attention seeker stealing his glory."

"This will make Potter realize the hard way of what seeking for more fame and attention will do to someone." said Lavender and Parvati in unison.

So true," said Seamus. "It's time that Potter is taught a lesson, once and for all!"

So Ron and his group started walking back inside (unaware that Harry had listened to their revenge plan). Harry was stunned at what the plan was. He knew they were planning some form of revenge, but he didn't expect it to be public humiliation. This tripled his efforts to avoid Pansy at all costs. This also tripled his efforts to keep his invisibility cloak with him as much as possible. There was no way he was going to let anybody do that to him.

(Meanwhile, at the Beauxbatons carriage)

Gabby was laying down on her bed with her face buried in her arms. She was still upset at being threatened with beatings if she set foot near Harry again. Fleur came in and saw her sister all distraught.

"Gabby, are you okay?" she asked.

"Well," Gabby started explaining. "I'm alright. I did hang out with Harry again. But then, some classmate of his claimed she was dating Harry, and betrothed to him. She even chased me away from Harry, threatening to beat me up if I came near Harry again!"

"Which one?" asked Fleur.

"Her name is Pansy Parkinson," stated Gabrielle. "She had green trims around her robes."

"WHY... THAT... LITTLE..." yelled an outraged Fleur. "Threaten my sister, why don't she!"

Kassidy and Kassandra came in after hearing Fleur's yelling.

"You okay, Fleur?" asked Kassidy.

"Yeah," said Fleur. "Except for Gabby having been threatened with getting beat up if she came near Harry. Some female classmate of Harry's claimed she was dating him."

"Well, if she does try to beat Gabby up, she'll be sorry, and I'll make sure of that." said Kassidy.

"Same here," agreed Kassandra. "She won't like what we will do if she even tries."

So she decided to stay to comfort Gabby, while Fleur and Kassidy went to the living quarters to pass the time until it was bedtime. Meanwhile, in a certain unused classroom, Harry had just finished putting his pajamas on and was climbing into bed. He took his glasses off and placed them on the nightstand, and drifted off to sleep

 _To be continued!_


	13. Chapter 13

_Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own the series. J.K. Rowling owns the series. I only own this fanfic. No copyright intended!_

Ch. 13

Training Sessions

Harry entered the Great Hall for breakfast the next morning. Harry took his usual spot at the end of the Gryffindor table closest to the doors. Fred, George, Ginny, Lee, Neville and Dean, as usual, sat by Harry.

"Well," Harry started explaining. "After eavesdropping on Ron and Hermione's group about their revenge plan, I've decided to start learning more spells, but I also want to be prepared for the next task at the same time!"

"Brilliant, mate!" said Fred.

"Yeah," agreed George. "Ron and his group of tormentors are crossing the line!"

"It's time they stop," stated Ginny. "Their behaviour is inexcusable."

Ron and Hermione entered the Great Hall (but not before Ron gulped down some sort of potion, out of a teacher's plain view) and glared at Harry, who rolled his eyes. Ron noticed that and started walked up to him.

"Don't you dare roll your eyes at me," growled Ron. "That's really rude!"

"So what," said Harry. "You've been treating me like this since Halloween. Now give it a rest or..."

Ron just grabbed a handful of Harry's hair and made him face Hermione.

"You see that?" barked Ron. "Hermione still has that black eye, and those few bruises and scrapes."

"Like it's my fault!" said Harry with sarcasm in his voice.

"As a matter of fact, it is!" hissed Hermione, who gave Harry a dangerous glare. "Because of you, Potter, I was beaten up!"

"You shouldn't have tried slapping me in the first place." said Harry.

"You ducked," said Hermione angrily. "And that caused me to slap Astoria!"

"You deserved it for turning your back on me!" said Harry.

Ron and Hermione went to join Seamus, Lavender and Parvati at the middle of the table. They believed that Harry wasn't aware of their plan for revenge (unaware that Harry had already found out, which Harry intended for it to stay that way). After breakfast, Harry headed for Professor Snape's classroom for potions (with the Slytherins). Harry found a seat in the middle row and sat down. Neville intended to sit next to Harry, only for Pansy to yank him out of the chair, so she could sit next to Harry. Harry realized that avoiding Pansy was going to be difficult when sharing classes with the Slytherins.

"You should leave Harry alone." said Neville. "He wants me to..."

"This doesn't concern you, Longbottom," Pansy interrupted. "Now find another seat or I will deal with you personally!"

Dean offered Neville to sit by him. Neville reluctantly left Harry and Pansy alone, knowing it wasn't a good idea to fight in Professor Snape's classroom. Ron and Hermione grinned upon seeing that Pansy sat next to Harry, as they felt their plan would teach Harry a lesson. Professor Snape came in a few minutes later to start the lesson, and spotted Pansy sitting by Harry.

"Miss Parkinson, why are you sitting by Potter?" he asked rather curiously.

"We managed to become good friends somehow," Pansy claimed, while putting her arm around Harry's shoulder, much to his embarrassment. "He has proven to be a great person after all!"

Professor Snape eyed Pansy suspiciously, wondering if she was feeling off today. Even Daphne eyed Pansy suspiciously, while her best friend, Tracey Davis shook her head in disgust. Professor Snape went to the front of the class to begin today's lesson. After finishing the lesson discussion, he looked at Pansy again, surprised to see her 'flirting' with Harry, making him more and more suspicious, wondering what she might be trying to do. Soon, potions class was over, much to Harry's relief. He and the other Gryffindors headed to the greenhouses for herbology, which they were sharing with, to Harry's horror, the Hufflepuff students. The lesson was going to be learning about the properties of Bubotuber Pus and how to safely collect it. Professor Sprout assigned groups, with four students per group. Harry was assigned to work alongside Neville and, to his horror, Ernie MacMillan and Justin Finch-Fletchley, both who weren't very pleased to work alongside Harry (as they still believed that Harry was trying to steal the spotlight from Cedric). Nevertheless, they tolerated it, so they wouldn't get into trouble with their head of house.

"So Potter," said Justin. "Have you thought of going to the Yule Ball with Pansy?"

"No I didn't," said Harry. "She probably only wants to go with me just to humiliate me."

"You sure about that, Potter?" asked Ernie. "I heard she was betrothed to you."

"Well, I don't see any proof about that matter." stated Harry. "How do I know Pansy is being truthful about the betrothal thing?"

"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," warned Justin. "You're not gonna want to turn her down."

"Yeah," said Ernie. "It's gonna be an even darker day for you if you refuse to go with her."

Ron and Hermione were working alongside Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott. They were talking about their revenge plan as quietly as possible, so Harry wouldn't hear, and especially so Professor Sprout won't hear it either.

"If Potter even turns Pansy down, he'll be in deep trouble with us." said Susan.

"Yeah, we can't have our plan backfire," stated Hannah. "Potter needs to learn his lesson once and for all."

"You got that right," said Hermione. "The revenge plan must succeed."

Hermione looked over where Harry, Neville, Justin and Ernie were. She could tell that Justin and Ernie were trying to talk Harry into going to the Yule Ball with Pansy.

"Justin and Ernie are doing whatever they can to make sure Potter doesn't turn Pansy down." Hermione continued.

"No kidding," said Ron. "It has to happen. Failure is _not_ an option."

They all agreed and they went back to their lesson. Soon, herbology was over, so the students left, with the Gryffindor students left to go to charms class. The Gryffindors were going to share with the Ravenclaws. Neville sat by Harry, to make sure nobody would antagonize him.

"Justin and Ernie are going nuts!' said Neville.

"Yeah," said Harry. "But at least they don't know I found out about their plan. I intend to keep it that way."

"That'd be cool," said Neville. "To see their plan backfire. That's why I stayed quiet during herbology."

"Don't worry about it, Neville," said Harry. "You were doing a good thing by not speaking. Justin and Ernie would've became suspicious."

Soon, their charms lesson began. After the discussion, Professor Flitwick saw Ron and Hermione discussing something, making him suspicious, because of Ron's grade being a 'T.' He was also surprised that Hermione's grade dropped from an 'O' to a 'T' as well. He found it hard to believe Hermione wasn't making any more effort to keep her grade up. The lesson was over, and the students started walking to the Great Hall for lunch. Harry felt somebody's hands touch his shoulders, and turned him around. It was Ron and Hermione, who gave Harry a nasty glare.

"I don't want to see you in the Great Hall." Ron insisted.

"Yeah, you'd better steer clear, you prat!" growled Hermione.

"Make me," said Harry. "You have no right to..."

"Then you'll be penalized... by ME!" stated Ron, who raised his fist, intending to punch Harry in the nose.

Suddenly, Ron felt as though his insides started acting up, making him bend down and clutch his stomach.

"Ooooh," said Ron sheepishly. "Of all these times, it had to happen right when lunch starts!"

Ron's insides continued 'acting up,' and then, while he continued clutching his stomach, he involuntarily let out a loud fart, enough for anybody nearby to hear. This resulted in either people giving him a disgusted look, while others laughed.

"Woooo, did somebody cut the cheese?" asked Ginny, while pinching her nose closed and using her other hand as a fan.

Ron attempted to continue with punching Harry, only for another involuntary fart to come out. Ron glared at Harry once more before dashing to the restroom. As soon as Ron was gone, Fred and George step out of their hiding places, with a huge grin on their faces.

"What was that?" asked Harry.

"Another prank," said Fred. "George and I decided to hide after spotting Ron trying to punch you..."

"And we used a spell to get Ron's insides to act up..." said George.

"So it would make him fart involuntarily..." said Fred.

"In order to teach him a lesson for being a jealous prat!" said George.

"I see," said Harry. "He sure was puzzled by that!"

"Yep," said Lee. "That spell will immediately wear off once he enters the restroom!"

So they all walked into the Great Hall for lunch. Ron came in a couple minutes later, angered by what had happened, especially that it delayed his time to eat. He just glared at Harry again, assuming he was the cause.

"Don't ever do that again, Potter!" said Ron angrily through gritted teeth. "That delayed my meal time, you prat!"

Ron stomped over to sit with Hermione, Seasmus, Lavender and Parvati. All of them also glared at Harry, who rolled his eyes, knowing they were delusional. So Harry, Fred, George and Lee were joined by Ginny, Neville and Dean. Over at the Hufflepuff table, Susan, Hannah, Justin and Ernie were discussing their revenge toward Harry for overshadowing Cedric's chance in the spotlight.

"Well, Ernie and I talked to Harry," said Justin. "We warned him not to turn Pansy down as her date for the Yule Ball."

"Yeah," said Ernie. "I even told him it'd be an even darker day for him if he does turn Pansy down."

"It'll be the only way he'll learn his lesson," said Hannah. "Since he refuses to admit that he put his name into the goblet of fire, he needs to realize the error of his actions, now we need to show him the hard way!"

"Definitely," said Susan. "Even those slaps to the face didn't make him learn. I've had enough of his attention-seeking, glory-hog attitude!"

Later that afternoon, Harry decided on going for a walk around the Black Lake. He decided to keep his invisibility cloak with him, just in case if Ron or his group members decide to, in their mind, teach Harry a lesson. Harry continued walking along the shore, until someone hugged him from behind. Harry was relieved it was Gabby, also relieved she was alright.

"Hi Harry!" said Gabby.

"Hi Gabby," said Harry. "How's it going?"

"Great," said Gabby. "I just hope that Pansy girl stays away."

"Yeah, me too," said Harry. "Sorry I couldn't do anything to help."

"Don't worry, Harry," assured Gabrielle. "It wasn't your fault. Pansy's aggressiveness made me suspicious."

"Oh okay," said Harry. "She was way more aggressive than usual."

"Her breath smelled like some kind of food colouring of some sort," stated Gabrielle. "The inside of her mouth had some dark red spots. It turned out she took a very powerful berserk potion, to ensure it would scare me away. I looked it up when I got the chance."

"No wonder Pansy was more aggressive than usual." said Harry.

"So, is that your invisibility cloak?" asked Gabby as soon as she spotted it.

"Yes," said Harry. "It belonged to my dad. It's been very useful in helping me get around undetected."

"Harry!" yelled a familiar voice off in the distance. This made Harry and Gabby panic.

"Here, put this on," Harry instructed, handing the cloak to Gabby. "I don't want to see Pansy chase you off again!"

"Okay, I will." said Gabby as she took it and put it over herself.

Seeing Gabby secured under his cloak, Harry stood where he was, intending to face what Pansy intended to do this time. Gabby walked away a little bit, a safe distance away. Pansy approached Harry as soon as she spotted him.

"Well, hello there, boyfriend!" said Pansy. "I'm glad that you're alone this time!"

"Uh, yes, same here." said Harry with uncertainty.

"I just hope you've been thinking things over," said Pansy. "Clearly, you don't wanna turn me down. It is crucial that we go to the ball together. The betrothal contract depends on that!"

Once she was finished, Pansy walked away, so Harry can 'think things over.' Harry didn't have any intention of going to the ball with Pansy, knowing what her intentions were. Gabby was outraged, finding it hard to believe that Pansy insisted on being Harry's date to the ball. As soon as it was safe, Gabby pulled the cloak off and gave it back to Harry.

"Thanks Harry," said Gabby. "I don't know what would've happened if it wasn't for your invisibility cloak."

"I don't even want to think about that," said Harry. "I'm thinking of finding an empty classroom to practice some spells, not just for the tournament, but just in case Pansy, or Ron or his group members decide to try anything else to me. I'd like to show you some. Fleur, Kassidy and Kassandra can come to, if they want."

"Okay," said Gabby. "Maybe I shall go give them the heads up."

"But let me escort you back to the carriage," said Harry, holding the cloak. "Under the cloak, just in case."

"Okay." said Gabby as she got under the cloak.

Soon, the Beauxbatons carriage was in sight. Harry and Gabrielle saw three students taking care of the pegasus' outside. Luckily it was Fleur, Kassidy and Kassandra. Fleur started looking around after hearing someone walking, but she couldn't see anybody around.

"Hello," said Fleur. "Who's there?"

Harry pulled the cloak off of Gabby and himself, which relieved Fleur. Kassidy and Kassandra also eased up upon seeing who it was.

"Sorry Fleur," said Gabby. "Harry was just escorting me back here."

"Oh okay," said Fleur. "I was worried that you had another encounter with Harry's tormentors."

"No, not this time," Gabby started explaining. "Harry offered to let me use his invisibility cloak. But Pansy came by again, without knowledge that I was hanging out with Harry."

"I see," said Fleur, so she turned to Harry. "Where did you get the cloak?"

It belonged to my dad," stated Harry. "It was returned to me on Christmas day of my first year."

"That's a cool cloak," said Fleur. "Thank you for escorting Gabby back here. I have no idea what would've happened if any of those tormentors found her."

"Yeah, that thought was enough to make me shudder," said Harry. "Which is why I'm going to practice some spells to try to keep Ron and his group at bay. But this will also help prepare for the second task!"

"Great idea," said Fleur. "If possible, maybe we can find a quiet place outside. This could throw your tormentors off track."

"Yeah, that'd be better," agreed Harry. "It will give all of us more room and reduce the risk of injury."

"Maybe tomorrow afternoon would be good to start," suggested Gabby. "That way, those who have supported Harry will have time to think about it."

"Good idea, Gabby!" said Fleur.

"This will throw those tormentors in for a loop." said Kassandra.

"Yeah," said Kassidy. "We'll show them how they like being tormented."

So Harry said goodbye to the four Beauxbatons students before putting the cloak back over himself and walking back to the castle. Upon entering through the front gate, Harry pulled the cloak off of himself, with Daphne getting Harry's attention minutes later.

"Hey Harry!" greeted Daphne.

"Oh, hey Daphne," Harry greeted back. "How's it going?"

"Good," said Daphne. "Everything is good."

Daphne turned toward her friend standing next to her.

"This is my best friend, Tracey Davis." Daphne continued.

Harry shook hands with Tracey, who was nervous and blushing.

"N-nice t-to m-meet you, H-H-Harry!" Tracey nervously replied, shaking hands with Harry.

"Nice to meet you, too." said Harry.

"I believe that you never entered the tournament," assured Tracey. "You're too nice of a guy to do anything like that."

"Thank you," said Harry. "It's such a shame how my so-called best friends turned their back on me."

"Yeah," said Tracey. "Daphne told me about how Astoria beat up that _insufferable know-it-all_ as punishment for slapping her in the face."

"She deserved it," said Daphne. "That's what Granger gets for doing that to my little sister, and especially for turning her back on Harry."

"I don't think she learned her lesson," said Harry. "She and Ron especially continue to blame me, when they should be ashamed."

"Only time will tell when and if they ever receive their ultimate comeuppance." said Tracey.

"Yeah," said Harry. "Tomorrow afternoon, I'll be setting up something of a session to learn more spells. Seeing that Ron, Hermione and my other tormentors wanna continue being jerks, I'm gonna start learning and practicing these spells, and show those tormentors and see how they like it."

"Great idea, Harry." said Daphne and Tracey.

"You both are invited to attend," said Harry. "I'd also tell Astoria myself, but I don't see her anywhere."

"She's probably in the Slytherin common room," said Daphne. "I'll tell her about it."

"Okay," said Harry. "I'll see you later."

"Take care, Harry." said Daphne and Tracey as they left for the Slytherin common room.

Harry decided to walk around the castle until dinner. He ended up running into Ron and Hermione, who were also accompanied by Susan, Hannah, Justin and Ernie. They weren't pleased to see (in their mind) the glory hog.

"Well, well," said Ron. "If Potter decided to drop by, we would've..."

"WAKE UP, RON!" shouted Harry. "I'm getting tired of this treatment you all have been giving me since Halloween."

"You deserve it," declared Hermione. "You just refuse to fess up to submitting for the tournament."

"You want proof?" asked Harry angrily. "I'll do the magical and life oath."

Harry held his wand up to recite the magical vow oath. Professor Snape was, unknown to them, walking by. He decided to see if Ron and all of them would wake up to reality.

"I, Harry James Potter, solemnly swear by my magic and life that I never submitted my name for the Triwizard Tournament and that I've been telling the truth, so mote it be!" stated Harry.

Once Harry finished, he cast the 'lumos' charm as proof, but Ron and part of his group just glared at Harry, assuming it was a trick.

"Nice try, Potter," spat Hannah. "This proves how arrogant you really are."

"Yeah," said Hermione. "You ignorant schmuck!"

"I gave you proof that I was telling the truth!" said Harry. "This should've been a wake-up call for you!"

"No it wasn't!" snapped Susan. "You just want more fame for your own selfish needs."

"Susan is right," said Ernie. "Enough already, Potter!"

"Yeah, seeing that you have been performing magic more advanced for a fourth year," Justin replied. "We know you submitted. We wouldn't be treating you this way if you'd just tell the truth."

"Well, FINE!" shouted Harry. "I have no use in trying to reason with jerks like you anyway!"

So Harry walked away. Ron, Hermione, Justin, Ernie, Susan and Hannah started unknowingly walking towards Professor Snape's hiding place. As soon as they were close enough, Professor Snape stepped out, revealing himself to the six.

"Well, well," he said sarcastically. "Nice of you six to walk this way."

"We... we... were..." Ron and Hermione nervously replied.

"I saw what was going on," stated Professor Snape. "You refuse to believe Mr. Potter when he proved that he was telling the truth. So that's one hundred points from Gryffindor, and one hundred points from Hufflepuff. I will be speaking to you all's respective heads of houses about this matter."

Professor Snape walked away, angering the six even more.

"Pansy was right," said Hermione. "Potter really has corrupted several teachers now. He's bound to corrupt the other teachers as well."

"Yeah," said Hannah. "We better inform our other group members about this."

"No kidding," said Susan. "Potter has had his chance. Our plan for revenge truly has to succeed."

"Yeah," said Ron. "Failure is _not_ an option."

So they walked outside to look for their other group members. Meanwhile, Harry was strolling down a hallway and almost ran into Neville by accident.

"Sorry Neville," said Harry. "Just have alot on my mind."

"It's all good Harry," said Neville. "What's up?"

"Ran into Ron and some of his group of tormentors," said Harry. "I proved to them with the magical and life oath that I was telling the truth. And they still aren't convinced."

"It's their problem, not yours, Harry," assured Neville. "With Ron being the jealous one, his behaviour isn't really a surprise anymore."

"Yeah," said Harry. "That's why I'm setting up a group to learn different spells, but also to prepare for the second task, and you and Luna are invited to attend."

"Oh, well thanks Harry." said Neville. "I better let Luna know."

So Neville walked away to look for Luna. Harry walked around the grounds looking for those who supported him and informed them about his setting up the session of learning more spells, not just for teaching Harry's tormentors a lesson, but also in preparations for the second task.

The next afternoon, after classes ended for the day, Harry went to his favorite spot by the Black Lake to wait for those who wished to attend. Fred, George, Ginny, Lee, Neville, Luna and Dean were the first to arrive. Then came Cedric, Cho and Viktor. Then Fleur, Gabrielle, Kassidy and Kassandra were the third to arrive. The last to arrive were Daphne, Astoria and Tracey. Once everybody arrived, Harry began talking.

"Alright," Harry started explaining. "I'd like to thank you all for coming. The first reason why I'm doing this is to help myself, Fleur, Cedric and Viktor in preparing for the second task. The other reason being Ron and his group of tormentors. Seeing that they want to continue being jerks, we need to be prepared if they decide to try anything to, in their minds, to teach me a lesson for being a glory hog, or to teach any of you a lesson for supporting me."

"You're right, Harry," said Fred and George. "Ickle Ronnykins and all of them need to learn their lesson."

"Their behaviour is not okay." said Ginny.

So they all got busy with practicing a different variety of spells. Professor McGonagall was walking by and spotted Harry and those who support him, practicing a number of spells. She smiled, knowing they were helping one another out, especially helping Harry and the other champions get prepared for the second task. So Professor McGonagall continued walking. Minutes later, Hermione came walking by and spotted Harry and all of them, thus got even more angry, assuming Harry was brainwashing them, yet again. So she turned around to inform Ron what was going on. Hermione made it back to the Gryffindor common room and saw Ron, who was accompanied by Seamus, Lavender and Parvati, and started telling him what all was going on.

"Ron," Hermione began informing. "Potter has formed a group to teach us a lesson for our so-called bad behaviour."

"WHAT?" yelled an outraged Ron. "He really has crossed the line."

"Ginny is even part of the group," stated Hermione. "Along with Fred and George!"

That worsened Ron's temper, to the point where it was like a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.

"I did warn Potter to stay away from my siblings, especially Ginny," said Ron. "I just wish that the Yule Ball would get here already, so he can be taught a lesson once and for all!"

The five Gryffindors agreed, so they left to inform the rest of their group what had happened. The rest of their group were outside the front gate.

"Potter has been brainwashing those people again." said Ron.

The rest of his group got even angrier. They were now desperate to publicly humiliate Harry, and they just wanted to Yule Ball to get here already.

(Meanwhile, in the headmaster's office)

Professor Dumbledore was going the next part of his plan, once again, with Barty Sr, Barty Jr, Ludo, Mundungus and Cornelius.

"Well," said Albus. "It's pay day!

"Excellent!" said Bartys Jr and Sr.

"This will be seventy-five thousand galleons to Ludo, Cornelius and Barty Sr apiece for making sure Harry got the highest score on the first task!" informed Albus.

"Wonderful," said Cornelius, Ludo and Barty Sr, who began smiling wickedly. "This will help!"

"Mundungus and Barty Jr will get fifty thousand galleons apiece as well," said Albus. "Since Mundungus keeps me informed about what's going on with Harry, and Barty Jr makes sure Harry gets some strategy while keeping the actual task under the hat. Plus, a little something for Mundungus once the entire plan has been accomplished."

The six manipulative wizards started laughing wickedly as they started going over phase 2 of their plan, determined to make sure they succeed at all costs.

(Meanwhile, at Harry's favorite spot by the Black Lake)

Harry and his supporters had finished their first session, so they all disbanded to start heading to the Great Hall for dinner. Harry stayed a little longer to relax some before eating dinner himself. Gabby gave Harry a hug from behind, making him smile since he knew how warming her hugs were.

"Thanks for helping me out, Harry." said Gabby.

"You're welcome," said Harry. "Won't Ron and his group of tormentors be in for a nasty shock."

"Yeah," said Gabby. "They won't expect this to happen."

"This ought to make them realize the error of their actions." said Harry.

"They oughta," said Gabby. "Their behaviour is really getting out of hand. Well, I think we ought to go eat some dinner."

"Yeah, this training session made me hungry." said Harry.

Gabby gave Harry another great, big hug, and a gentle kiss on the cheek, which made him blush. So Gabby started walking away until Harry came to realize something.

"Gabby, wait." Harry called out.

"Yes, Harry?" she asked after she turned around.

"Would..." he started saying, sheepishly. "Would you... like to... go to the Yule Ball with me?"

"Yes, Harry. I'd love to go to the ball with you!" Gabby responded excitedly, and gave Harry, yet another great, big hug, with Harry returning it.

"Well, see ya later Harry." said Gabby.

"Alright, take care Gabby." said Harry.

So Harry walked back to the castle to head to the Great Hall for dinner. On his way, he was stopped by Professor Dumbledore.

"Um, hello, professor." said Harry.

"Hello, Harry," said Professor Dumbledore in his grandfatherly voice. "I just thought to let you know that champions must have a date to the Yule Ball."

"Professor McGonagall already told me." said Harry.

"Well, I'd thought that a suitable choice for your date could be either Miss Granger or Miss Weasley." said Professor Dumbledore.

"Can I ask why?" asked Harry.

"Let's just say alot of great things happen when we least expect them." said Professor Dumbledore.

"I doubt Hermione will want to go with me," said Harry. "She and Ron especially have been treating me like dirt since Halloween. It seems like they've been forming a group to torment me."

"Harry, I'm sure you're just overreacting," said Professor Dumbledore with false reassurance. He knew Harry shouldn't know what he was really up to. "It'll pass by, and they will get over it."

"What if I already asked someone else to be my date for the Yule Ball?" asked Harry, who started experiencing an inner panic, not wanting to stand Gabby up.

"No no no, Harry," said Professor Dumbledore in his kindly grandfather-like voice. "Miss Granger or Miss Weasley ought to be great choices, or maybe Miss Parkinson."

With that, Professor Dumbledore walked to the Great Hall. Harry gulped, making him suspicious. He wondered if Pansy had talked Professor Dumbledore into helping her out. Harry knew he couldn't go with Ginny, since she had been something like a sister to him. He knew Hermione wouldn't go with him either, due to turning her back on Harry. He also knew Pansy is setting him up. Harry really didn't want to stand Gabby up, as he already asked her to the ball. Harry continued walking to the Great Hall for dinner, at the same time wondering what Dumbledore could possibly be up to.

 _To be continued!_


	14. Chapter 14

_Disclaimer: As usual, no copyright intended. J.K. Rowling owns the rights to the series. I just own this fanfic._

Ch. 14

The Daily Prophet Of Doom Strikes Again

Harry made it to the Great Hall and sat down next to his fellow Gryffindors who have supported him. Ron glared at Harry as he passed by.

"Hermione is my date for the ball," he said to Harry. "Don't even think about asking her!"

"I wasn't planning to do so anyway," stated Harry. "I already asked someone to the ball!"

"As long as it's not Hermione, and especially Ginny," said Ron sarcastically. "Pansy will be proud that..."

"I didn't ask Pansy," said Harry. "And I'm not gonna tell you who I asked."

"You'd better not turn Pansy down," warned Hermione, who came walking up to Ron. "You know she is betrothed to you."

"Can you prove that?" asked Harry angrily. "Just because she claims that, it doesn't make it so!"

"Seriously Potter, you are going to the ball with Pansy, and that's final!" Ron insisted.

He and Hermione joined Seamus, Lavender and Parvati. Harry rolled his eyes, while Fred, George and Ginny glare at Ron and Hermione. Over at the Hufflepuff table, Susan, Hannah, Ernie and Justin were discussing their plan again.

"Well, we do have several weeks before the ball," stated Ernie. "As long as we give Pansy the vials of love potion in them, she'll spike Harry's drinks with the potion, so that it'll ensure that Potter goes to the ball and dances with her."

"Agreed," said Susan. "We will need all the love potion ingredients we can get. If any of us in the group can, we will need to make sure a diversion is created. If Professor Snape catches any of us taking the ingredients, the plan will be ruined."

"It mustn't fail," stated Hannah. "Remember what Ron said, failure is _not_ an option. Our plan has to succeed."

"The rest of our group will like this part of the plan," said Justin. "Especially Pansy. She'll be over the moon to be able to spike Harry's drink with love potions."

"Once dinner is over," said Hannah. "We must get our group members, find an empty classroom or something, and discuss this part of the plan."

"Excellent idea Hannah!" said Susan. "They'll be ecstatic to hear this!"

Soon, dinner was over, and everybody filed out to do what they planned to do. Harry walked over to the library, with his invisibility cloak with him, just in case. After a few minutes of reading a potions textbook, he heard a group of students come in. Harry knew it was Ron, Hermione and their group of tormentors, so he put his invisibility cloak over himself, luckily in the nick of time, as ten seconds later, he spotted the group. As quietly as possible, he sneaked over to find a table close by the group, making sure the cloak was secured over himself, sat down and listened to what Ron, Hermione and their group of tormentors were going to discuss.

"Well, we have an idea on what will ensure our plan to be fail-proof!" said Ernie.

"What's that?" asked Draco and Pansy with intense interest.

"Brewing up a love potion." stated Susan. "And a hate potion as well."

"Wow," said Pansy ecstatically. "This definitely will ensure that Potter will go to the ball with me."

"Maybe a berserk potion could be brewed as well," stated Hannah. "Just in case if Potter decided to ask somebody else to be his date."

"Great idea, Hannah," said Hermione. "We could also spike a drink with the hate and berserk potion, as long as Potter gives that drink to anybody who might already be his date for the ball."

"Wonderful," said Ron. "Won't Potter be in for a nasty surprise!"

"True, very true," said Justin. "He will never know what hit him."

"After Potter finishes his opening dance with Pansy," said Draco. "I'll take that opportunity to denounce him as a girlfriend stealer, and someone who toys with girls' affections. That will make Potter leave the Great Hall once people see him for the person he really is all along!"

Harry was really shocked, he never would've known that a love, hate and a berserk potion would be used in their revenge plan. He put his hand over his mouth, so he wouldn't gasp and make his tormentors realize that someone was eavesdropping in on their plan..

"Before the opening dance," said Pansy. "I'll spike Potter's drink with the love potion. Whoever his 'date' might be, will get a drink spiked with the berserk potion. Then, while Potter is under the effects of the love potions, I will instruct him to spike his 'date's' drink with a hate potion."

"This will ensure that our plan succeeds," said Lavender. "Since I'm good at gossiping, I'll help Draco out with denouncing Potter as a girlfriend stealer and as somebody who toys with girls' affections!"

"At least Potter won't know that a love potion especially is illegal!" said Parvati.

"Yep," said Parvati's sister, Padma. "This will be more than enough to make Potter leave Hogwarts. That glory hog will realize the hard way what stealing Cedric's chance in the spotlight will do!"

Harry's eyes widened in horror, as he didn't expect a Ravenclaw student to join the group. The more he heard, the more he knew that the situation was escalating, very fast. He knew reporting this to a teacher wasn't an option, especially to Professor Dumbledore, since Harry now knew that the headmaster will just dismiss such so-called claims. If any teacher were notified of this, all of his tormentors would find out and declare Harry to be corrupt, and that he was out to corrupt the teachers as well.

"We ought to try fueling up all of this before the ball." suggested Seamus.

"I do have an idea," said Draco. "But she will have to come here to Hogwarts first."

"During potions lessons," said Ron. "Some of us can create a diversion that will distract Professor Snape long enough for some of the other members to take all the ingredients for the three potions we intend to use."

"You got it," said Crabbe and Goyle. "If any diversion is good enough, we must use it!"

"Since Gryffindors often share classes, potions in particular, together with the Slytherins," Draco began instructing. "Me, Crabbe and Goyle will come up with a diversion, use it, and keep Professor Snape distracted, while Ron, Hermione and Seamus will sneak into his personal stores and snatch up any ingredients for the potions. Maybe Lavender and Parvati can help with Snape's distraction as well."

"I'll continue sitting next to Potter," said Pansy. "So he won't get suspicious of what is going on."

"When it's potions class for the Ravenclaws and the Hufflepuffs," said Ernie. "Me and Justin will do the distracting, while Susan, Hannah and Padma will get the ingredients for the potions we intend to use."

"I can also help Justin and Ernie with distracting Snape," said another fourth year Hufflepuff who Harry didn't recognize. "If our revenge plan is to work."

"Great idea, Megan." said Justin. "Like Ron said, failure is _not_ an option!"

Harry vaguely remembered her name as Megan Jones. She and Padma probably have joined the group just recently.

"Perhaps this should start once potions class finishes for the day before some of us snatch the ingredients." suggested Hannah.

"Good thinking, Hannah," said Susan. "We can't risk any of the other students catching us in the act."

Once they were finished with discussing their revenge plan, the group disbanded, so they would avoid suspicions, and to avoid any more reprisals. Harry was at a loss for words. He knew that Gabby must be notified of this, so she wouldn't fall victim to the ploy. With his invisibility cloak still secured, Harry left the library and started walking to the Beauxbatons carriage. Luckily, he found Gabby outside, with Fleur, Kassidy and Kassandra. They were feeding the pegasus' when Harry pulled his cloak off of himself, surprising the four.

"Harry, are you alright?" asked Gabby with worry in her voice.

"No," stated Harry. "We need to talk. Fleur, Kassidy and Kassandra ought to hear this, too."

"What happened, Harry?" asked Fleur.

"Ron Weasley and his group of so-called Harry tormentors," Harry started explaining. "They are planning to something illegal at the Yule Ball. Pansy is planning to spike a drink with a love potion and give that to me. Some of the other group members also plan to spike a drink with a hate potion, and a berserk potion, with the intention to have me, while under the effects of the love potion, give that to Gabby."

"What in the world?" said Fleur, outraged.

"Oh no!" Gabby gasped, who could hardly believe what she heard.

"I can't believe that," said Kassidy. "A love potion is illegal, since it is extremely manipulative."

"Yeah," said Kassandra. "Shall this be reported?"

"That isn't an option," said Harry. "I tried reporting that to Professor Dumbledore, but he dismissed that as me just overreacting. If any teacher were notified, then Ron and his group will just try to track me down and 'confront' me once more, assuming that I'm out to corrupt the teachers. Plus, I want to see their plan backfire."

"Yeah," agreed Gabby. "If word gets out of what they're doing, they'll probably hit and run."

"Harry does have a point," said Fleur. "Who all is part of this group?"

"Aside from Ron and Pansy," stated Harry. "The other members of the group are Hermione Granger, Seamus Finnigan, Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil, Ernie MacMillan, Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, and at least two new members, Padma Patil and Megan Jones."

"Oh my!" said Kassidy, who was at a loss for words (covering her mouth in shock).

"Luckily, they have to brew those potions," said Harry. "That will buy us some time to inform those who have supported me. But we must whisper that, or at least write them down on parchment and give them to my real friends, just so Ron and his group members won't get suspicious."

"Good idea," said Fleur. "They think they're tricking you, Harry. But we'll trick them."

"It's getting late," said Harry. "I'd better get back to the castle."

"Alright, take care, Harry." said Gabby. Fleur, Kassidy and Kassandra.

So Harry put the invisibility cloak back over himself and started walking back to the castle. Meanwhile, Ron and his group were looking for a room where they can brew up their intended potions, one where they were least likely to be bothered. Ron and Hermione have just settled with a familiar girls lavatory, one that had an 'out of order' sign on the door.

"This will be a good place to brew the potions." said Ron and Hermione to their fellow group members.

"Excellent," said Draco. "With that out of order sign, nobody will come in here."

"This will allow us privacy to brew up the potions." said Pansy.

"Okay," Ron started instructing. "Hermione, Susan, Hannah, Pansy and myself will deal with brewing the love potion. Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, Justin and Ernie will brew the hate potion. Seamus, Lavender, Parvati, Padma and Megan will brew the berserk potion. They need to be as powerful as possible if our revenge plan is to work. Remember, failure is _not_ an option!"

The group agreed with the plan and started looking at the stalls where the respective potions could be hidden while they were either in classes or in the Great Hall for mealtimes. They all believed that (as long as the out of order sign was still in front of the lavatory door) they wouldn't have to worry about anybody bothering them. Little did they realize that a certain ghost (who was invisible) was eavesdropping in on the plan, clearly disgusted at what was heard.

(The next day)

Harry walked into the Great Hall for breakfast. Before going to sleep, he had written down the warning about Ron and his group's revenge plan on pieces of parchment, so he could hand them to his real friends who haven't been notified of the worst part of the plan yet. As soon as Fred, George, Ginny, Neville, Lee and Dean sat down next to Harry, he handed them a copy of the warning, which disgusted them.

"Oh boy," said Fred and George. "This is _not_ what we expected!"

"Well, they have just earned themselves lumps of coal for Christmas!" stated Ginny.

"Yep, especially with the love potions." said Neville.

"Certainly," agreed Dean. "Since love potions can be abused real easily."

"We will do anything we can to make sure their plan backfires," said Lee. "We cannot have this kind of behaviour go around."

"So true," said Ginny. "Mum and dad won't be very happy about this."

"Yeah," said Fred. "As much as I'd like to hear of mum's punishment for Ickle Ronnykins, I'd like to see their plan backfire first."

"Same here," agreed George. "That will be too fun to miss!"

Soon after, Ron and Hermione arrived in the Great Hall. They didn't glare at Harry, assuming it would throw him off track if they simply ignore him. They made their way to the middle of the table, quietly going over the plan again with Seamus, Lavender and Parvati. On his way to charms (which he was sharing with the Hufflepuffs), Harry stopped Daphne and Tracey in the hallway and handed them a copy of the note with the warning on it, much to their shock.

"Astoria will need to know about this." said Daphne.

"Agreed," said Tracey. "We especially can't let Draco, Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy know about this."

Harry made it to Professor Flitwick's classroom, where he and Neville chose to sit in the middle row. Today's lesson would be discussing and practicing the banishing charm. Ron and Hermione, as usual, didn't bother trying, as they (along with any of their group members who were in charms class) were more focused on their revenge plan, but pretended to work on their assignment, so Professor Flitwick wouldn't get suspicious. After charms, Harry headed off to his herbology lesson (once again, sharing with the Hufflepuffs), with today's lesson learning to herbivicus charm. Professor Sprout divided the class into groups of four again, with Harry and Neville working with Susan and Hannah, much to their disappointment.

"I hope you've been thinking things through, Potter." said Susan. "Going to the ball with Pansy is mandatory on your part."

"Yeah, right," said Harry sarcastically, ignoring what Susan said. "And I thought I was a con artist."

"You'd better be careful," warned Hannah. "You heard what Susan said, you have no choice but to attend the ball with Pansy, is that clear?"

Harry ignored Hannah, resulting in her snapping her fingers in his face.

"Hey, pay attention, Potter!" Hannah hissed.

"It isn't that easy for me to go with someone who just wants to humiliate me." said Harry.

"You have to attend the ball with Pansy, and that's final!" Susan insisted.

Soon, herbology was over, and Harry walked to Professor Snape's classroom for potions (with the Slytherins). Harry, once again, had to sit by Pansy, much to his embarrassment. Neville sat by Dean again, not wanting to risk having points taken away. Professor Snape came in, eyeing Pansy again with suspicion, upon seeing her sitting next to Harry. Snape started discussing the girding potion, which gave the drinker extra endurance.

"Now, can someone tell me what colour the potion is?" asked Professor Snape.

Naturally, Hermione raised her hand. But, Professor Snape ignored it.

"Is somebody willing to tell me the colour of the potion?" Professor Snape asked again, once more, ignoring Hermione's hand.

"The potion is gold in colour, sir." said Hermione, trying to hide her irritation, with little success.

"That's the seventh time this week you have spoken out of turn, Miss Granger," snapped Professor Snape. "That's fifteen points from Gryffindor for being an _insufferable know-it-all!_ "

Hermione put her head down on the desk, in tears, much to Harry's amusement. Daphne and Tracey were giggling as quietly as possible, knowing that Hermione was getting what she deserved. Pansy was secretly desperate for the revenge plan to happen, assuming that Harry has corrupted her head of house.

"And another fifteen points from Gryffindor, Miss Granger," said Professor Snape. "For your grade having dropped from an 'O' to a 'T' in my class, and a weeks worth of detention as well."

Hermione continued crying into her arms, with Ron patting her back to try to comfort her. Harry couldn't help but laugh at Hermione's predicament. A glare from Pansy made him stop. Daphne and Tracey continued giggling quietly, since the _insufferable know-it-all_ was now failing in potions. Soon, class was over and once Snape walked out of the classroom, Draco gave Ron and the other group members a thumbs up to signal getting the ingredients for the potions they intended to brew. Draco, Crabbe and Goyle walked out to keep their head of house distracted, while Ron, Hermione, Pansy, Lavender and Parvati sneaked into Snape's personal stores to take the ingredients for the potions. During lunch break, Ron and his group of tormentors headed for the 'out of order' girls lavatory to drop off the ingredients for the potions, and then they started walking to the Great Hall for lunch.

"Well, well," said Harry as he noticed Ron and his group walk into the Great Hall. "Look who all decided to join."

"They had to have been somewhere where they could continue with their plan without anybody bothering them." said Ginny.

'They were," said Lee. "Just wait til their plan backfires, then we'll see who has the last laugh."

"Excellent!" said Fred and George.

Soon, lunch was over, so Harry and Neville walked to Professor McGonagall's classroom for transfiguration, with the Slytherins. Neville sat by Harry this time, despite Pansy's protests. Professor McGonagall came in, with today's lesson changing a hedgehog into a pincushion. While they were working, Harry and Neville caught Ron out in the corner of their eyes. The two couldn't believe that they were witnessing Ron peeking at Daphne's parchment, copying down what she had written down, with Ron grinning mischievously. Harry waved his hand at Daphne to get her attention, luckily Ron was too distracted to notice. After a few tries, Harry caught Daphne's attention and pointed to Ron. Daphne turned toward Ron and was outraged at him for cheating.

"Hey, Weasley!" Daphne blurted out, snatching her parchment away from him. "How dare you try copying off of my parchment."

That, unfortunately for Ron, caught Professor McGonagall's attention. She looked at Ron, with a no-nonsense look.

"Mr. Weasley," she said sternly. "I can't believe you tried to cheat your way for a good grade. That's a weeks worth of detention and twenty-five points from Gryffindor."

Ron turned to Harry and glared at him, assuming he was the reason for what just happened. This intensified his desires to make sure the revenge plot would succeed. When class ended, Hermione even scowled at Harry for what had happened. She also assumed Harry persuaded Professor Snape to ignore her in potions class. As soon as they were well away from Professor McGonagall's classroom, Ron and Hermione went to 'confront' Harry again, with Seamus, Lavender, Draco and Pansy helping them.

"Alright, Potter," Ron snarled. "I've had just about enough of your antics!"

"I have as well," growled Hermione. "I just know you persuaded Professor Snape to ignore me, yet again, in potions class!"

"And Professor McGonagall catching me borrowing Daphne's notes just minutes ago in transfiguration class!" said Ron.

"You were cheating off of her assignment," stated Harry. "Which means you're incompetent."

"Cheating is acceptable, Potter." Draco fibbed.

"I don't think so," said Harry. "How is cheating supposed to make you the best."

"Yeah, act like a smart-mouth, why don't you!" taunted Pansy.

"I cheat all the time," Seamus claimed. "In classes I hate, that is."

"Yeah, same here," said Lavender. "Now, we don't want any more of your lip, Potter."

Harry rolled his eyes at that, which angered Ron more and more.

"I warned you that that was rude," he said, while forming a fist with his right hand. "Now, you'll pay the price!"

Ron attempted to punch Harry in the nose. Harry ducked, thus causing Ron to punch Daphne in the nose instead (with Harry unaware that she, Tracey and Astoria were behind him). Ron punched with such force that it not only caused Daphne's nose to bleed, but it also broke the bridge of her nose, which was more than enough to make her squeeze her eyes tightly in pain, and it also caused her to fall to the ground. This earned Ron some gasps and glares, especially from Fred, George, Lee, Ginny and Luna. People were also whispering things like 'I can't believe he hit a girl,' or 'what was he thinking,' or anything similar. Tracey and Astoria were so mad that they gave Ron the nastiest glare they could. Ron was acting as if it wasn't that bad, ignoring the fact that nobody was fooled. Ron grinned nervously, with the corners of his lips twitching, and suddenly took off running, with a still angry Tracey and a still angry Astoria running after him.

"Nobody is gonna get away with punching my sister," screamed Astoria. "Especially a guy!"

"I won't tolerate anybody punching my best friend!" yelled Tracey.

Ron kept trying to run away from the angry Slytherin girls, much to the amusement of those who witnessed the incident, especially Harry and his real friends. Ginny and Luna helped Daphne to her feet while Harry conjured a handkerchief, so Daphne could hold it up to her nose to try to stop the bleeding.

"Sorry to get you involved Daphne," said Harry. "If I'd known you were behind me."

"It'th nod your fault, Harry," said Daphne while pinching her nose shut with the hankerchief. "We thod we'd keeb ad eye od Weathley, jutht in cathe he twied to do adythig to you."

"Okay," said Harry. "I just wanted to try handling it on my own."

"Come on, Daphne," said Ginny. "Let's get you to the hospital wing and see if Madam Pomfrey will get that fixed up."

So she and Luna escorted Daphne away to the hospital wing. Hermione, Seamus, Lavender, Pansy and Draco glared at Harry like the whole thing was his fault. But they decided to walk away, believing that their plan was bound to work if they don't say anything to Harry.

"Mum didn't raise Ickle Ronnykins this way," said Fred, outraged. "He's gonna be in so much trouble..."

"That mum will likely ground him..." said George.

"For the whole summer..." said Fred.

"By making him do chores..." said George.

"Around the house without any free time..." said Fred.

"And to spend any spare time in his room!" said George.

"Ron certainly wasn't showing any Gryffindor traits," said Lee. "Seeing him run away like a coward."

"Yeah," agreed Harry. "I do wonder what Astoria and Tracey are going to do to him, if they haven't caught up with him yet."

"Either way," said Fred. "This will give us more opportunities to pull pranks on him."

"Yeah, Ickle Ronnykins needs to learn a lesson here." said George.

"See ya later Harry." said Fred, George and Lee as they walked away.

"Alright, see ya later." said Harry.

So he walked outside for some fresh air. Harry couldn't help but grin at seeing Ron run away like a coward from Astoria and Tracey. He never thought Ron would have had the tendency to hit a girl, especially without remorse. Harry could tell Ron didn't care that Daphne got punched, since he now not only hated Harry, but also those who have supported him. Harry walked to his favourite spot by the Black Lake. A few minutes later, Harry felt something wet and soft touch his hand, making him jump. He relaxed upon realizing it was just Fang, Hagrid's boarhound.

"Hi Fang," said Harry while petting him. "What are you doing out here?"

Just then, Hagrid came walking by, looking for Fang and found him getting some affection from Harry.

"There you are, Fang," said Hagrid, who then turned to Harry. "Hi Harry, how are you?"

"I'm alright, Hagrid," said Harry. "Just getting some fresh air."

"Oh okay," said Hagrid. "Fang and I were just looking around for the best trees to use as Christmas trees. Seeing that the Triwizard Tournament also holds a Yule Ball."

"How many are you looking for?" asked Harry.

"A few good ones," said Hagrid. "But one that is to be considered 'the biggest of them all,' and Fang was helping me out!"

"I see," said Harry. "I thought Fang must've slipped outside without you noticing."

"Nah," said Hagrid. "Fang doesn't really leave the perimeter of my hut without me or anybody else he trusts."

"Oh okay," said Harry. "I guess I should let you and Fang get back to Christmas tree hunting."

"Alright, Harry," said Hagrid. "Take care."

"Talk to you later, Hagrid." said Harry.

So Harry walked back to the castle. As he started approaching the front gate, he ran into Susan, Hannah, Ernie and Justin, obviously mad at him, which told Harry that they heard about him apparently causing Ron to get into trouble. Justin also had a newspaper article in his hand, and showed it to him.

"What's this?" asked Harry

"Another newspaper article," said Justin. "Now, read it!"

Harry took it and was stunned that it was another article by his least favourite news editor, Rita Skeeter. The article she wrote read:

 **The-Boy-Who-Toys-With-Affections, Now At An All-Time High!**

 **by: Rita Skeeter**

 _Harry Potter, age 12, The-Boy-Who-Lived, now dubbed The-Boy-Who-Toys-With-Affections, has been reported to have been toying with girls affections again. Despite his unconfirmed claims that he is currently dating Ginevra Weasley, other reports have specified that he has been toying with affections of other girls, according to Draco Malfoy, a Slytherin in Harry's year. He has testified that Harry is out to steal his girlfriend, Pansy Parkinson (who is also a fourth year Slytherin). Ginevra's brother, Ronald Weasley, son of Arthur Weasley, head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office for the Ministry of Magic, has stated that Harry is planning to ask Hermione Granger to the Yule Ball, despite dating Ginevra. Ronald says that he isn't about to let Harry take Hermione to the ball, even though Harry claimed that he had no plans for that. Ernie MacMillan, a fourth year Hufflepuff student, has added to the story that Harry Potter will brainwash any girl, just to get more attention and force people to pity him._

 _Susan Bones, niece of Amelia Bones (head of the DMLE) has stated that Harry is planning to spike her drink with a love potion before the ball, to ensure he gets to dance with her. Susan's best friend, Hannah Abbott, has even confirmed that Harry is planning the same thing for her. Hannah also stated that Harry is doing this to make Ginevra Weasley jealous, so that it would intensify her efforts to marry The-Boy-Who-Lived sometime in the future. Ginevra denied comment on how she is handling the situation, even though she has no intention of admitting to dating young Harry. Lavender Brown, a fourth year Gryffindor, has given some new evidence that Harry is planning to take her to the ball, despite protests that Seamus Finnagan, another fourth year Gryffindor, who is outraged by Potter's attempts on brainwashing any girl to go to the ball with him. Another fourth year Hufflepuff student, Justin Finch-Fletchley, has even warned Harry to stay away from Susan and Hannah, to ensure he doesn't spike their drinks with a love potion. Ronald Weasley also warned Harry not set foot near his sister, or that Harry would suffer the consequences if this occurred._

 _A few Beauxbatons students were interviewed. They stated that Harry had brainwashed Gabrielle Delacour, sister of the Beauxbatons champion, Fleur Delacour. They also specified that Fleur has been brainwashed into believing Harry as well. Fleur claims that that isn't true, but no such evidence has been found that she is being truthful. Another statement from the Beauxbatons students even clarified that Harry had asked Gabrielle Delacour to the Yule Ball, in another attempt to make Ginevra Weasley jealous. Gabrielle has been mentioned to have gotten upset at the evidence that she has competition. More on this story as it develops._

Harry was at a loss for words upon finishing the article. He gave the four Hufflepuff students a glare. He never even brought up the fact that he asked Gabby to the Yule Ball. How did they find out about it? Harry was now really worried for Gabby, knowing that Pansy would track her down and likely blackmail her into staying away, or else get beat up.

"So," said Susan sternly, with her arms folded. "Thought you could get away with avoiding Pansy as your date for the ball. Didn't you?"

"I'm not going to the ball with Pansy..." Harry clarified.

"That's enough, Potter," said Hannah, also with her arms folded. "We don't want to see you with Gabby. Otherwise, she'll be in huge trouble, especially with Pansy."

"And yes, you will be Pansy's date for the ball," Susan insisted. "Refusal to do so isn't an option. Don't let any of us catch Gabby with you."

"Otherwise, you will have to face Ron and Hermione, with Gabby having to face Draco and Pansy. Is that clear, Potter? Have I made myself clear?" said Ernie.

All of a sudden, Susan and Hannah started feeling as if they have a desperate urge to use the bathroom, and began dancing up and down on one foot. They started to waddle towards a restroom, but not before glaring at Harry once more, letting Harry know they would be back. Likewise, Justin and Ernie started experiencing itchy feelings and started scratching themselves like crazy as they have smeared itching cream all over themselves. They tried to hide it, with little use. They also glared at Harry to let him know they would also come back, and they left, hoping that the 'itching feeling' would go away after a few minutes. Harry was both amused and baffled by what just happened. At that moment, Fred, George, Ginny and Lee came out of their hiding places and walked toward Harry, with a smug grins on their faces.

"What was that?" asked Harry, surprise in his voice.

"Fred, Lee and I used an itching feeling charm on Justin and Ernie..." stated George.

"To teach them a lesson on what they were doing." said Fred.

"And I used the charm to give Susan and Hannah that desperate urge to go to the bathroom," said Ginny. "It will wear off after they step into a restroom. Fred and George showed me that one."

"My charm was quite invisible," said Lee. "While Fred and George used the itching feeling charm, the one I used was to ensure that they couldn't withstand the itchiness. The charm will wear off in five minutes. It'll be the longest five minutes for them."

"Is it true that you asked Gabby to the ball?" asked Fred.

"Yes," Harry admitted. "After our first training session to learn more spells."

"Ahh," said Lee. "She sure enjoys your company, Harry."

"Yeah," said Ginny. "Hopefully, those charms will teach those..."

"POTTER!" yelled an angry Ron as he stomped toward him. He also had a black eye with some bruises, as punishment for punching Daphne in the nose. "You caused me to receive a black eye, as well as several bruises on my face and my upper arms. I believe I warned you to stay away from my siblings!"

In an attempt to distract Ron, Harry started dancing in a comical way, confusing the jealous red-haired Weasley. This gave Fred and George the opportunity to prank Ron with more charms. They settled with the leg-locker and the arm-locker curse, causing Ron to fall to the ground and start squirming like a worm.

(Meanwhile, at The Burrow)

Molly Weasley was finishing up on her housework, so she sat down and began contemplating on what she wanted to cook for dinner. Bill and Charlie were visiting, and they helped out with the chores around their house. Arthur finally came home, with a serious look on his face.

"Dad, what's wrong?" asked Bill.

"This!" Arthur said, holding up the newspaper Rita wrote about Harry apparently being the-boy-who-toys-with-affections reaching an all time high.

Molly took it and started reading it. Upon finding out Ron was among those feeding Rita lies, she was furious. She also found it hard to believe Hermione even fed some of them as well.

'WHAT IN THE WORLD DOES RONALD THINK HE IS DOING?" yelled Molly, who was now full of rage.

"Apparently, Draco and his friends have joined Ron's group of tormentors." said Charlie as he read the article, finding it hard to believe Ron is continuing to let his jealousy get to him.

"And... Amelia's niece, Susan, is also in on it..." said Bill, as he started reading it. "... and Susan's best friend, Hannah, is also part of it."

"Amelia is gonna be... so furious with her niece if she see's this article." stated Arthur. "I've read the first article about this so-called situation, and I've heard Amelia is angry enough. This second article is gonna make her anger worse."

Molly was so furious that she was unable to speak. She couldn't believe Ron would do this to Harry. She didn't raise Ron to behave like this.

"Yeah, Susan should be friendly towards Harry," said Charlie. "I think Hannah should be, too."

"Harry's family and Susan's family have been friends/allies for a long time," said Bill. "I'd hate to imagine Amelia's reaction if Harry breaks the Potter-Bones friendship/alliance."

"Same here," said Arthur. "If Susan's actions keep up, that could very well happen."

Molly was still unable to speak, due all of the anger and frustration upon learning that Ron's actions have been escalating.

(Meanwhile, at the Ministry of Magic)

Amelia Bones was finishing up, as she still had a couple hours before her shift ended. Kingsley Shacklebolt, an auror, had picked up Rita's news article with the lies about Harry. He walked over to Amelia's office as soon as he found out her niece was among the students feeding Rita lies. Kingsley knocked on Amelia's door.

"Come in!" said Amelia.

"Amelia, you need to see this article." said Kingsley as he handed the newspaper article to her.

Amelia took it and read it. As if she wasn't mad enough at Susan, she has just gotten even angrier.

"I thought Susan would've had the sense to be friendly with Harry," she said, outraged. "I don't want the Potter-Bones friendship/alliance broken. What is Susan's problem?"

"I don't know..." said Kingsley.

"And Susan's best friend, Hannah, is also feeding Rita all these lies about Harry?" Amelia angrily continued her rant. "Harry would never do any of this stuff..."

"I'll leave then." said Kingsley, anticipating what Amelia was going to do.

"Thanks for showing me this, Kingsley," said Amelia. "I need to get this taken care of. I think I shall inform Hannah's parents about this, too."

So Kingsley left Amelia's office, who cast a silence charm on the door, and got busy with her plan to knock some sense into her niece.

(The next morning, in the Great Hall)

Harry was getting ready to eat breakfast with the Gryffindors who have been sticking by his side. Fred, George and Ginny saw Errol flying towards Ron, dropping a familiar red envelope in front of him, and then collapsing in front of the twins.

"Wicked!" said Fred, George, and Ginny as they, along with Harry, Lee, Dean and Neville witnessed Ron getting a howler from his mum.

Ron, with his hands shaking, started opening the howler, knowing that ignoring it would be worse. As soon as it was opened, it shouted:

 **"RONALD WEASLEY! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS, FORMING A GROUP TO TORMENT HARRY. I DIDN'T RAISE YOU TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS! FEEDING RITA ALL THESE LIES ABOUT HARRY TOYING WITH AFFECTIONS. WHAT ON EARTH MAKES YOU THINK THAT'S OKAY. I WARNED YOU NOT TO MISBEHAVE LIKE THIS AGAIN. YOU KNOW HARRY WOULD NEVER DO ANY OF THIS STUFF. I'D SUGGEST YOU APOLOGIZE TO HARRY FOR YOUR ACTIONS, BECAUSE IF I HEAR ONE MORE THING ABOUT YOUR BAD BEHAVIOUR AGAIN, I'LL COME TO HOGWARTS AND DRAG YOU HOME SO FAST IT'LL MAKE YOUR HEAD SPIN!"**

Once the howler finished, it burst into flame, making a shaken Ron run out of the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall didn't show much sympathy, believing this to be a suitable punishment. Not long after Ron left, another owl flew in and dropped a howler in front of Hermione. Fred, George and Ginny recognized the owl as Bill's. Hermione saw that Mrs. Weasley sent her a howler as well. Once Hermione opened her howler, it shouted:

 **"HERMIONE GRANGER! WHAT IN THE WORLD IS WRONG WITH YOU? DON'T YOU KNOW BETTER THAN TO TREAT HARRY LIKE THIS? AND YES, YOUR PARENTS GAVE ME PERMISSION, AFTER I INFORMED THEM, TO SEND YOU A HOWLER AFTER I FOUND OUT ABOUT THOSE LIES YOU FED RITA SKEETER. THEY ARE DISAPPOINTED IN YOU FOR TURNING YOUR BACK ON HARRY. THEY EVEN ASKED ME TO KEEP THEM UPDATED IF ANYTHING LIKE THIS HAPPENS AGAIN. THEY INSIST ON YOU APOLOGIZING TO HARRY, OR ELSE THEY'LL GIVE ME PERMISSION TO DRAG YOU FROM THE CASTLE AND BACK TO YOUR HOUSE!"**

Hermione's howler burst into flame as soon as it was finished. She also left the Great Hall, also shaking and squirming. A minute later, Susan spotted her aunt's owl, which had a howler.

"Oh no!" gasped Susan. "Auntie Amelia sent me a howler!"

"You'll have to open it," said Hannah reluctantly. "As ignoring it is much worse."

Shaking with fright, Susan opened her howler, and once it was open, it shouted:

 **"SUSAN BONES! I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH YOU. I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD TREAT HARRY LIKE THIS. WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT THIS BEHAVIOUR IS OKAY? DO YOU REALLY WISH TO HUMILIATE HARRY. IF THAT'S THE CASE, YOU NEED TO BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW THAT IT COULD BACKFIRE. DO YOU ALSO HAVE ANY IDEA HOW EMBARRASSING THIS IS TO ME? I EVEN READ RITA'S ARTICLE MENTIONING YOU FEEDING HER LIES ABOUT HARRY. I DON'T WANT TO HEAR OF ANYTHING LIKE THIS AGAIN, OR YOU WILL BE GROUNDED FOR THE WHOLE SUMMER. IF I WERE YOU, I'D APOLOGIZE TO HARRY. HAVE I MADE MYSELF CLEAR? NOW START SHOWING BETTER BEHAVIOUR THIS INSTANT!"**

Susan's howler burst into flame once it was finished. This was also enough to make her leave the Great Hall. Just when it seemed like it was all over, another owl flew in and dropped a howler in front of Hannah, from her mother. With trembling arms, she opened her howler and it shouted:

 **"HANNAH ABBOTT, WHAT IN THE WORLD HAS GOTTEN INTO YOU? I FOUND OUT IN RITA'S ARTICLE MENTIONING LIES ABOUT HARRY THAT YOU HAVE BEEN GIVING HER. MS. SKEETER IS PLAIN BAD NEWS. AMELIA EVEN NOTIFIED OF THIS, AND THIS BEHAVIOUR IS UNACCEPTABLE, YOUR FATHER AND I DIDN'T RAISE YOU TO BEHAVE THIS WAY. WE EXPECTED YOU TO BE FRIENDLY WITH HARRY. IF THIS BEHAVIOUR OF YOURS KEEPS UP, YOU WILL BE GROUNDED FOR THE WHOLE SUMMER. NOW I'D SUGGEST YOU START THINKING THINGS OVER, AND APOLOGIZE TO HARRY FOR YOUR ACTIONS!**

Hannah's howler also burst into flame once it was finished. She also left the Great Hall. Professor Sprout and Professor McGonagall looked at each other as if to say, 'its for their own good. They needed to punished in some way.'

"They should be thankful that they still have the chance to go to the Yule Ball." said Professor Sprout.

"Yeah," agreed Professor McGonagall. "They really do need to think things over."

Meanwhile, Ron was in the boys lavatory, throwing up due to getting his howler. Likewise, Hermione, Susan and Hannah were also in the girls lavatory, throwing up as well because of their respective howlers. Once they were done, they stepped out of their respective lavatories. They were even angrier with Harry.

"Potter is in sooo much trouble with me," said Ron through gritted teeth. "He corrupted my mum and dad."

"We just need to get those potions brewed," said Hermione. "Harry just..." Hermione couldn't finish her rant, due to all the anger built up.

"He has corrupted the teachers, and now, our respective relatives," said Susan. "We need to be as discreet as possible about our plan or plans from now on. The other members need to be informed on how desperate the plan needs to work."

"Yep," said Ron. "This incident is why failure is _not_ an option!"

"True, so true," said Hannah. "Potter has corrupted teachers and brainwashed students, for the last... time!"

While the four went to check on their potions with the rest of their group members, Professor Snape was going through his personal stores to get ingredients for today's lesson. He was outraged at seeing some of his ingredients missing.

"Where did the ingredients go?" Professor Snape asked himself. "I had quite alot of them, and now, the majority of some are... gone!"

Professor Snape vowed to himself to get to the bottom of this. Whoever did this will be in so much trouble, as stealing was wrong, and especially unacceptable here at Hogwarts. Upon continuing his search for the missing ingredients, he found that the ones that were gone were used for the love potion, hate potion and the beserk potion. Professor Snape also found some of his ingredients used for the polyjuice potion were also missing, intensifying his efforts to find the culprits and make sure they would be expelled.

 _More chapters coming soon!_


	15. Chapter 15

_Disclaimer: As usual, no copyright intended. The rights to the series belong to J.K. Rowling. I just own the fanfic._

Ch. 15

The Yule Ball

It was Christmas Day, which was also the night of the Yule Ball. Harry was too excited to go back to sleep, even though it was five in the morning. He couldn't wait for the Yule Ball, not just to dance with Gabby, but to also make sure Ron and his group's plan would backfire. Dobby and Winky appeared in the unused classroom Harry had been using.

"HAPPY CHRISTMAS, HARRY POTTER!" they blurted out.

"Happy Christmas to you two as well." said Harry.

"Well, Dobby has made Harry Potter a scarf!" said Dobby, handing it to Harry.

"Thank you Dobby," said Harry. "I didn't know you could make scarves!"

"Winky taught Dobby how," explained Dobby. "Dobby wanted to make Harry something special. So, with Winky's help, Dobby created this scarf. It has red and green stripes. The red stripes would go with Gryffindor's red color, the green stripes also to represent Harry Potter's eye colour!"

"I really like it," said Harry. "Thanks alot you two!"

Harry reached into his trunk and pulled out a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks and handed them to Dobby.

"Thanks Harry Potter!" said Dobby, who gave one of them to Winky.

"Winky enjoys making clothing," said Winky. "Winky likes to make something new out of something old."

"Oh okay." said Harry.

"Thank you Harry Potter," said Winky. "Winky has a present for you too."

Winky gave Harry a bag of, what looked like, cookies. "Winky's own recipe!" she stated.

Harry pulled one out and ate one, which tasted something like french vanilla. There was even a little chocolate in the cookies. Harry was impressed with Winky.

"Thanks Winky," said Harry. "These cookies are just... too tasty to resist!"

"You're welcome, Harry Potter!" said the house elves. "We'd better get back to the kitchens, so everybody else can get their breakfast."

So they vanished back to the kitchens. Harry saw some more gifts by his bed, which surprised him. He didn't think they would come to him, no matter where he was. He opened one from Mrs. Weasley, which was a jumper sweater, which was, as usual, emerald green, but this one also had a hungarian horntail imprinted on the front. He opened one from Sirius, which happened to be some sort of mirror. Sirius' package also came with a note that read:

 _Harry,_

 _This is a two-way communication mirror. It's supposed to be used to talk to somebody quickly, in the case of where it's difficult to communicate by letters. I know it's hard, but I appreciate you holding off on sending Hedwig my way. To use this mirror, just say the name of the one who you wish to talk to, and that person will appear in the mirror. Have a happy Christmas, Harry._

 _From,_

 _Padfoot_

Harry put the mirror down and looked at some other gifts, one of which was also from Mrs. Weasley, which was some homemade fudge. Another one, from Fred and George, was a package of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans. And another one was a package of chocolate frogs, from Ginny. The last one, from Mr and Mrs. Weasley, was a model of a hungarian horntail chasing Harry on his firebolt.

Meanwhile, in a certain girls lavatory, Ron, Hermione and their group of tormentors were finishing up on the last of the brewing for the love potions, hate potions and berserk potions. Somehow, they managed to sneak more ingredients, to ensure they brewed plenty of the three potions. They were all being cautious, due to a close call a couple weeks ago, especially Hermione, who had been the first to notice it.

(Hermione's flashback)

It was fifteen days ago, in the afternoon. It was just Hermione, Susan, Hannah, Pansy, Lavender, Parvati, Megan and Padma. They were doing the checking on the potions, while continuing to brew them at the same time. Hermione went to cast a charm on the lavatory door that allowed one to look out of the door, like looking out of a one-way peephole, but this charm allowed one to enlarge it, so the others can look out of it as well. The caster (and anybody around them) can look out and see what's on the other side of the door, but those on the other side, cannot see them, useful for spying. When Hermione cast the charm on the door to check if the coast was clear, she saw Professor McGonagall walking by, and then stopped about fifteen feet from the door.

"Professor McGonagall is outside the door." Hermione notified the other girls in the group.

They all stopped brewing momentarily, and came to see for themselves. They all panicked, seeing Professor McGonagall looking around, as if she noticed something going on.

"Huh," said Professor McGonagall, who was sniffing the air. "It seems like somebody is brewing potions around here somewhere."

She started walking toward the girls lavatory, following the scent of the brewing potions, causing Hermione and the other girls to panic again, looking like that the plan was bound to backfire. But then, Professor Snape came walking around the corner to tell Professor McGonagall something.

"Minerva," said Professor Snape. "I've been finding that some of the potion ingredients in my personal stores disappearing."

"Are you sure, Severus?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"Yes, 100% positive." said Professor Snape.

"Well, I'll head to your personal stores and see for myself, if you want." said Professor McGonagall.

"Yes, It'd best if you did." said Professor Snape.

So he and Professor McGonagall walked to Professor Snape's personal stores. As soon as they were out of sight, Hermione and the other girls breathed a sigh of relief. Hannah cast a charm around the lavatory to make sure the scent of the potions wouldn't reach anywhere else.

"Th-th-that was a c-c-close o-one." said Susan nervously.

"Yeah," agreed Hannah. "We need to be more careful from now on."

"True dat," said Pansy. "Ron would have a heart attack if the plan backfired."

They all went back to brewing the potions as soon as the necessary precautions were taken care of.

(End of flashback)

Once Hermione snapped back into reality, she cast a silence charm around the lavatory, so that nobody could hear them. Hannah also cast the scent confinement charm, so the smell of brewing potions wouldn't leave the lavatory. Pansy had another scheme up her sleeve, so she decided to bring it up, while they continued to get the potions brewed.

"Here's another idea for our plan!" Pansy informed.

"What is it?" asked Ron and Hermione.

Pansy pulled out a 'document' from Gringotts, which was a 'marriage contract.' Pansy and Draco smiled wickedly at what they also read on the document.

"Father picked up a copy of this contract," stated Draco. "If Potter's signature is signed onto it, he will not only be forced to be married to Pansy, but he will also be her slave!"

The rest of the group also read the contract, and they were ecstatic about it. They all saw this as another way to teach Harry a lesson, not only for his supposed glory-hog attitude, but for his wealth and power, as mentioned on the contract.

"He will be subject to eternal enslavement," said Pansy. "We'll also have the power to withdraw some of his money whenever we feel like it, and take his possessions from his vault, so we can sell them for more moolah! Ron and Hermione can be Potter's main master and mistress."

"Excellent," said Ron with glee. "Since he didn't bother to tell his best-mate how to bypass the age line and especially about his wealth and power. This will allow me to show Potter what corruption can do to someone!"

"No kidding," said Hermione. "Be able to order him to do anything we want him to do. It's about time he learn his lesson. Show him the hard way how bad it is to have power, and spread corruption within!"

"Father will enjoy this," said Draco. "See all of us treat Potter like a slave!"

"Yeah," agreed Hannah. "This part of the plan is fail-proof. As long as Potter doesn't find out, especially about his inheritance, it's bound to succeed!"

"This also means all of us can order Potter around?" asked Justin.

"Yep," said Draco. "There are also signature lines for all of us."

So Pansy brought out a 'special' kind of quill and handed it to Ron first, who signed his name, feeling a sting on his left hand.

"The blood quill," explained Pansy. "This will ensure that the plan will succeed, as long as our respective signature's are written with our blood."

So the entire group signed the 'contract,' ensuring them that they have power to enslave Harry, and once that was taken care of, Pansy signed her name right on the line for the marriage. Then she got out a piece of parchment with Harry's actual signature on it, and put it under the contract where Harry's signature would go. Then Pansy forged Harry's signature onto the contract, doing her best to make sure it matched Harry's real signature. Once that was finished, the group laughed wickedly, with evil smiles.

"Be prepared for whats coming to you, Potter!" said Ron and Hermione with glee.

Once the 'marriage contract' was taken care of, the girls took over the brewing of the potions, while the boys left for the owlery, so they could get the 'contract' mailed to Draco's father, Lucius. They all smiled wickedly at the excitement of enslaving Harry for eternity.

Meanwhile, the rest of the school was just starting to head to the Great Hall for breakfast. As usual, Harry sat at the end closest to the doors with Fred, George, Ginny, Lee, Neville and Dean. Neither of them saw Ron, nor any of his group members anywhere in the Great Hall, making them suspicious.

"It's likely the potions they are brewing that's keeping them from making it here in time!" Harry deduced.

"It has to be," guessed Fred. "Seeing Ron and Hermione getting coal this year, the rest of their group likely got coal as well."

"I can't wait to watch their plan backfire!" said Ginny with delight.

"Me, too!" said George.

"Same here," agreed Lee. "They'll be the ones in for the surprise!"

Neville and Dean laughed at the thought. Harry smiled, as he was ready to show Ron and his group members the hard way how bad letting their ego getting to them was, especially with Ron being the jealous type. Some minutes later, Ron and his group entered the Great Hall for breakfast, only to meet the stern looks of Professors McGonagall, Snape, Sprout and Flitwick (who were standing by the doors to the Great Hall).

"How nice of you to join us," said Professor McGonagall sarcastically. "And where have you all been?"

"We were just taking a walk outside," Hermione fibbed. "And we got sidetracked."

"We also saw that as a way to relax," Hannah claimed. "So we wouldn't be nervous for the Yule Ball."

"You ought to be careful," warned Professor Snape with sarcasm in his voice. "People will think you're... up... to something!"

"You all best sit at your respective house tables for breakfast." said Professor Sprout.

"Now, get going!" said Professor Flitwick.

Ron and his group went to sit at their respective house tables. They couldn't afford to let anybody, especially the teachers, and Harry in particular, know what they were really up to. They were lucky the teachers didn't press the issue.

Soon, breakfast was over, and the students went to do anything they could to pass the time before the Yule Ball. Harry was walking down a hallway with Fred, George, Ginny, Lee, Neville, Dean and Luna. Ron and Hermione stopped them once they were all away from the Great Hall.

"Potter, didn't I warn you to stay away from my siblings?" barked Ron.

"What was that?" Harry asked, playing dumb.

"I don't recall you ever saying that, Ickle Ronnykins!" said Fred and George with sneers.

"Don't call me that!" snapped Ron.

"You'd better be ready to go to the ball with Pansy." Hermione ordered Harry.

"I must've gotten something in my ear," Harry claimed, rubbing his ears. "What was it you said?"

"Are... you... even... paying...ATTENTION?" said Hermione irritably.

"Maybe I am," said Harry defiantly. "Maybe I'm not!"

"And you don't have any right to forbid Harry from hanging out with us." said Ginny.

"And I didn't agree to go to the ball with Pansy." said Harry.

"It's not an option, Potter," said Hermione firmly. "Now make sure you're ready to go with her tonight!"

Ron and Hermione walked away, leaving Harry to 'think things over,' while Ginny, Fred and George shook their heads in disbelief.

"At least we've been practicing those spells for the past several weeks." assured Harry.

"True dat," said Lee. "They've already been planning something unforgivable and illegal, now we need to teach them a lesson."

"Yep," said Dean. "Using a love potion on someone is a crime, as it's a form of manipulation."

Fred and George brought out a couple vials of potions (one was red and the other was blue). Lee grinned, knowing what the potions were.

"These potions are laxative potions," said Fred and George. "This will be a way of keeping Ron and his group of tormentors at bay."

"Ah, okay," said Harry. "How come one is red, and the other is blue?"

"The red laxative potions will give the one who takes it..." said Fred.

"The feeling like their insides are on fire..." said George.

"And the blue one will give the one who takes it..." said Fred.

"The feeling that their insides are freezing up..." said George.

"As if they're on ice..." said Fred.

"And both of these potions..." said George.

"Will make the ones who take it..." said Fred.

"Run to the loo." said George.

"But we'll only spike their drinks with a little of these potions." said Lee.

"Because it's not our intentions to hurt them," said Fred and George. "Just enough to keep them at bay."

"There will be red and blue punch bowls at the ball," said Lee. "So the red laxative potions should go in the red punch, and the blue one in the blue punch."

"So that Ron and his group won't get suspicious." said Harry with glee.

"Excellent, mate!" said Fred and George. "Won't they be in for the surprise!"

"Heck yeah!" said Harry ecstatically.

"Perhaps Luna and I can take care of spiking the drinks of the female members of the group." suggested Ginny.

"Yeah, great idea." said Luna.

"Harry and I can take care of spiking the drinks of the male members of the group." said Neville.

"Great idea, Neville." said Harry.

"Yeah," said Fred and George. "So Ron and his group members won't know it was our idea."

"For sure!" said Lee.

Meanwhile, Ron and his group went back to the girls lavatory, to check on the potions (which were almost finished). They were getting more and more anxious, so they could get Harry out of the way and enslave him for all eternity.

(Later that early evening)

Harry was in his unused classroom, with Fred, George and Lee, who wanted to make sure Harry was ready for the ball. Harry's dress robes consisted of a grey tuxedo, black pants, black dress shoes, and a black coat.

"That sure looks good on you, Harry!" said Lee as he pointed to Harry's dress robes.

"It sure does, mate!" said Fred and George.

"Thanks guys," said Harry. "I hope Gabby will like them."

"She will," assured Lee. "She definitely enjoys your company."

"Yeah mate," said Fred. "She is probably wearing a dress you like to see her in."

"Yeah, you're right, Fred." said Harry.

So the four left Harry's unused classroom and started walking towards the Great Hall. Meanwhile, in the girls lavatory, Ron and his group finished brewing the potions and were also finishing up on pouring them into a number of vials. Then, after making sure the coast was clear, they stepped out and started heading to the Great Hall (with each member carrying at least a couple vials of the three potions they brewed. Outside the Great Hall, Harry was waiting for Gabby to arrive. Harry spotted her (with Fleur, while Kassidy and Kassandra went into the Great Hall), walking toward him, and he was amazed at seeing her, with her hair in dual french braids, and wearing dress robes of sky-blue satin. Fleur was wearing dress robes of silver-grey satin.

"Wow," said Harry as he saw Gabby. "You... you look... beautiful, Gabby!"

"Why thank you, Harry," said Gabby, blushing. "You look wonderful, too!"

"Thanks Gabby!" said Harry.

"Those dress robes suit you well, Harry!" said Fleur.

"Thank you, Fleur," said Harry. "You look beautiful as well!"

"Thank you, Harry!" said Fleur.

A minute later, Viktor Krum came walking by with... Ginny.

"Ginny," said Harry. "I didn't know Viktor asked you to be his date."

"Yeah," said Ginny. "He advised me to keep it a secret until tonight."

"That was a good idea," agreed Harry. "Ron is bound to be mad at you though, but that's his problem."

Professor McGonagall came walking by, to check on the champions and their dates.

"I've been instructed to escort you all to an unused classroom nearby," she informed the champions and their dates. "This will help you all prepare for the opening dance."

So Harry, Gabby and the rest of the champions and their respective dates followed Professor McGonagall to an unused classroom close to the Great Hall. This proved to be a smart choice, as Ron and his group of tormentors came walking to the Great Hall. It had taken them a little bit of time to make it, since they didn't want to run into an unwanted person who could've walked by the girls lavatory and spot them. Ron, Hermione, Draco and Pansy stayed by the Great Hall entrance while the others went in. Ron, Hermione, Draco and Pansy wanted to make sure this would give Harry the message that he had to attend the ball with Pansy. The four were spotted by Professor McGonagall.

"The four of you need to go in," she said. "The opening dance is bound to start in ten minutes."

"We're just waiting for Harry," said Pansy. "I'm supposed to be his date."

"Mr. Potter already has a date," informed Professor McGonagall. "Now, in you go."

The four had no choice but to go in. They were mad that Harry had (in their mind) stood Pansy up. They went to inform the rest of their group members about Harry standing Pansy up. They, of course weren't pleased, especially with Ron's frequent reminders that failure wasn't to be an option. Meanwhile in the unused classroom the champions and their dates were waiting in, they were all preparing for the opening dance.

"Gabby," Ginny began warning. "As you already know, Harry has been something like an honorary brother to me. You hurt him in any way, and you'll have to answer to me."

"Don't worry, Ginny," assured Gabby. "I can never hurt him. I enjoy hanging out with Harry, and he enjoys my company as well."

"Viktor," Harry warned. "Ginny has been like a sister to me. I don't want to find out that you've hurt her. Otherwise, I'll make sure you're sorry."

"I'll be careful," assured Viktor. "I've seen her using a number of charms and hexes. That was more than enough for me to realize that she shouldn't be messed with."

As the time for the champions' opening dance drew nearer, Fleur and her date, Roger Davies, who was the captain of the Ravenclaw Quiddicth team, lined up in front, with Viktor and Ginny behind. Then Cedric and Cho got behind them, with Harry and Gabby in the rear. Professor McGonagall came back to escort the champions and their dates to the Great Hall for the opening dance, with the champions walking arm in arm with their respective dates. Once the champions and their dates started walking in, many students could see that Harry's date was Gabby, and Viktor's date being Ginny. Ron and his group of Harry haters were outraged by that. They could hardly believe what they saw.

"What.. the.. hell!" said Pansy. "Didn't I make it clear that Harry was supposed to go with me?"

"No sister of mine fraternizes with the enemy!" Ron declared. "Viktor is so... dead!"

"Gabby is in deep trouble!" said Hannah.

"Certainly," said Hermione. "She had been warned to stay away from Potter!"

"This wasn't part of the plan," said Susan. "I thought I made it clear to Potter that refusing to have Pansy be his date wasn't an option!"

"Yeah," said Draco. "But at least we have a plan B! But either way, Potter is going to be sorry about this ever happening!"

"And we'll make damn sure of it!" assured Ernie.

"Yeah," said Justin. "I can't believe that Potter would disobey our orders!"

Professor Dumbledore was shocked at seeing who Harry's date was. He pretended to be okay with it, but deep inside, he wasn't exactly pleased. He thought Harry would've attended with Miss Weasley, Miss Granger or Miss Parkinson. Did he miss something about Harry all this time? He thought he made it clear to Harry who he should've attended the ball with. Harry had to be prepared for his destiny, this had to happen one way or the other.

Once the champions and their respective dates made it to the middle of the dance floor, they got ready. As soon and the opening dance waltz started, the champions started dancing with their respective dates. Harry was happy with having practiced dancing, since he no longer had to worry about accidentally stepping on Gabby's toes. Gabby was enjoying the time she danced with Harry. While the opening dance was in progress, Ron and his group got the potions ready. Pansy made sure she had some of the love potion with her, she also had a vial of the hate potion, and a vial of the beserk potion with her. She was determined to dance with Harry, so Draco could denounce him as a girlfriend stealer.

"Don't worry, Cedric," said Ernie in a semi-audible voice, while looking at Cedric and Cho dancing. "The attention seeker will no longer be a threat to you!"

Once the opening dance was over, Harry escorted Gabby to a table, so they can get some punch and a meal. Fred, George and Lee (whose dates were Daphne, Tracey and Astoria respectively) were keeping an eye on the punch bowls, to keep any suspicious activity in check. Neville and Luna came by for some punch. When Ron and Pansy came to get some as well, Fred, George and Lee eyed the two suspiciously.

"What are you gonna do with that punch?" Fred asked Ron.

"None of your beeswax!" said Ron rudely.

"Yeah, this doesn't concern you!" said Pansy.

After the two grabbed a couple goblets of punch, they walked off. Fred, George and Lee began grinning, they couldn't wait for Ron and his group's plan to backfire.

"I can't wait to see their plan backfire," said Tracey. "That'll be too good to miss."

"Yeah," said Lee. "Once Ron and his group leave, then we can all dance peacefully."

"No kidding," said Daphne. "Ron, Hermione, Draco and Pansy especially are being worst."

"But all members of their group deserve comeuppance just as much." said Astoria.

"Pretty much," stated George. "They're about to unknowingly open a can of whoopass."

Meanwhile, Pansy was finishing up on spiking the punch with the love potion. As soon as she was done, she walked over to the table Harry and Gabby were sitting at.

"Drink this," said Pansy as she handed the goblet of punch to Harry. "You'll feel better."

"I'm not thirsty right now," said Harry. "Now, if you'll excuse me..."

"I didn't give you a choice, Potter," said Pansy, who sat the goblet down by Harry. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Do not disappoint me!"

So Pansy walked away to inform the rest of the group that plan had been set in motion. Harry, naturally, refused to drink the punch Pansy gave him. A minute later, Ron came strolling by, mad at Harry for trying to turn Pansy down.

"I thought you were warned to stay away from Potter!" said Ron to Gabby.

"Why don't you leave Harry and I be," said Gabby. "We're not here for you to ruin our time."

"No, not until Potter decides to dance with Pansy!" said Ron, getting more and more outraged.

"I'm not gonna dance with Pansy and that's final!" said Harry.

"Fine, you ungrateful little prat," said Ron as he picked up the goblet of punch next to Harry. "Then I'm going to drink your punch."

"Go right ahead," said Harry slyly. "I'm not thirsty anyway."

Ron just picked up the goblet and gulped down the punch. Then he set the goblet back down on the table and just belched real loudly, then he walked away.

"That was the punch Pansy spiked with the love potion!" said Harry to Gabby, with glee. "And he isn't aware of that yet!"

"Wow," said Gabby. "He's gonna be embarrassed once it wears off!"

"No kidding!" said Harry, who started laughing.

Soon, Fred, George and Lee (with their respective dates) came by, where Fred and George sat the red and blue laxative potions on the table.

"Ron gulped down the punch Pansy gave me," said Harry. "He didn't know it was spiked with the love potion!"

"Excellent!" said George.

"That will definitely help to make their plan backfire!" said Fred with glee.

Neville and Luna came by soon, followed by Ginny and Viktor. Harry told them about Ron drinking the punch spiked with the love potion, much to their delight. Now they knew that Ron and his group's plan was bound to backfire. True to their belief, the love potion began taking effect, with Ron ogling Pansy, and his mouth was drooling. He tried to express his love-potion-induced feelings for Pansy, much to her horror.

"Ron, snap out of it!" said Pansy. "You're embarrassing yourself."

"Oh come on," said Ron. "I wanna..."

"Ron, you're causing a scene here!" said Hermione.

Their entire group couldn't understand what had happened. Ron, who was still under the effects of the love potion, kept trying to tell Pansy his 'feelings' for her. That caused the rest of the group to be distracted, allowing Harry, Neville, Ginny and Luna (with help from Viktor and Astoria) to spike the group's punch with the laxative potions. Harry dealt with spiking Ron, Draco, and Justin's punch with the red laxative potion, with Neville spiking Seamus and Ernie's punch, and Viktor spiking Crabbe and Goyle's punch. Likewise, Ginny spiked Hermione, Pansy and Susan's punch with the blue laxative potion. Luna spiked Hannah, Parvati and Lavender's punch. Astoria spiked Padma and Megan's punch. Once they were finished, they sneaked back to the table where Harry and Gabrielle had sitting at. Fleur, Kassidy and Kassandra (who was invited by Dean Thomas) came by, curious to see what all was going on.

"So what happened?" asked Fleur.

"Ron tried to harrass Gabby and I," said Harry. "And he demanded to let him drink my punch. So I told him to go ahead, as I wasn't thirsty. What Ron didn't realize was that the punch he drank had been spiked with the love potion, so that's why he keeps ogling Pansy."

"Nice," said Fleur with delight. "That explains the commotion."

"So Ginny, Luna, Astoria, Viktor, Neville and myself spiked Ron and his group's punch goblets with laxative potions." said Harry.

"What will happen next will be too good to miss," said Fleur. "We need to see that."

Harry gave the laxative potions back to Fred and George, who put them back into their respective pockets. Ron and his group members were still trying to get Ron to snap out of his 'infatuation.' Pansy finally realized what was going on with Ron, so she gave him an antidote to the love potion and after a couple minutes, Ron was back to normal.

"Why did you drink that punch?" asked Pansy.

"I didn't know," said Ron sheepishly. "I was looking for Ginny, to confront her over attending the ball with Viktor. I saw Harry with Gabrielle, so I told him to dance with you. When he refused, I told him I was gonna drink his punch, and he said to go right ahead."

"So Potter turned the tables on us," said Pansy, outraged. "We need to wait a few minutes, so no teacher at least will get suspicious."

"Yeah, good idea." said Hermione, who glared at Harry sitting several tables away.

"Potter may have won this battle," said Susan bitterly. "But we will _not_ lose the war!"

To pass the time, Ron and his group members decided to drink their punch while they waited for another opportunity to trick Harry into dancing with Pansy. They were unaware of their punch goblets having been spiked with laxative potions. Harry and his real friends saw that, and they were grinning, knowing that they will be witnessing them experience the effects.

While they were waiting for another opportunity to make Harry dance with Pansy, the group began discussing other possible ideas. A few minutes later, they all felt their insides act up, making all of them clutch their stomachs.

"Oooh," said Ron. "What's going on? My insides, they feel like they're on fire!"

"My insides," said Draco. "They feel like they're on fire as well!"

"My insides feel like they're frozen on ice!" said Pansy.

"My insides feel like being frozen on ice as well!" said Hermione.

The rest of Ron's group started complaining about their insides feeling like they're either on fire or frozen like ice. The second part of the effects started kicking in, forcing the whole group to run straight for their respective lavatories. The girls in the group had difficulty running, due to wearing high heels. Harry and his real friends were amused at what they witnessed. Harry and Gabby blew a sigh of relief, now that they aren't under threat any longer. So Harry and his real friends decided to get up and dance for a little bit before dinner. As Fred, George and Lee were getting ready to start dancing with Daphne, Tracey and Astoria respectively, Professor McGonagall walked up to them.

"I'm impressed that you three are promoting friendships between different houses," she told Fred, George and Lee. "Especially with the still ongoing rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin!"

"We thought we'd try something different, professor!" said Lee.

"Great job to the three of you," said Professor McGonagall. "Enjoy the Yule Ball!"

So she walked away to let Harry and his friends dance. All of the girls got to dance with Harry a little, especially Fleur, who didn't enjoy dancing with Roger Davies, as he couldn't keep his eyes off of her. So Harry decided to cheer Fleur up, which she was grateful for. Then they all decided to find tables for dinner. Over at the staff table, Professor McGonagall couldn't help but smile, seeing Harry and Gabby enjoying the Yule Ball. Professor Dumbledore remained emotionless, he was stunned that Harry didn't attend the ball with who he believed was best for Harry. He pretended to be fine with what happened, so nobody, especially Professor McGonagall, would realize that he was up to something.

After they finished their meals, Harry and Gabrielle walked outside to a garden that was charmed to feel warm, since otherwise, it would've been cold for them to be there. Harry and Gabby found a bench to sit on, and began having a conversation.

"Fleur was all happy when she danced with you a little bit." said Gabby.

"Well, ummm, yeah," said Harry while trying not to brag. "A good friend would be more than willing to cheer their friends up when it's needed."

"You truly are one-in-a-million, Harry," said Gabby. "Fleur and I could tell that you aren't affected by the veela allure."

"Yeah," said Harry. "I do wonder why."

After a while, Professor McGonagall came by.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Delacour, it's time to turn in. The ball is just about over." she informed Harry and Gabby.

"Is it okay if I escort Gabby back to the Beauxbatons carriage?" asked Harry.

"Of course, Mr. Potter," said Professor McGonagall with a smile. "Do be careful, you two."

"We will." assured Harry.

So he and Gabby started walking to the Beauxbatons carriage. Harry cast the 'Lumos' charm, so he and Gabby wouldn't accidentally walk into a tree or something. Once they made it to the Beauxbatons carriage, Gabby gave Harry a great, big hug, with Harry returning it.

"I had a great time tonight," said Gabby. "I wish it wouldn't end so quickly!"

"Same here," said Harry. "It always seems like the greatest moments are too short."

Before walking back into the Beauxbatons carriage, Gabby gave Harry a quick kiss on the cheek, resulting in Harry grinning and blushing.

"Well, goodnight Harry!" said Gabby.

"Goodnight, Gabby!" said Harry.

So Gabby walked into the carriage, closing the door behind her. Harry continued blushing, and unable to resist grinning. He wished he could rewind time, just to do the night over again. So Harry walked back to the castle, to his unused classroom. Little did he and Gabby know, a 'beetle' had been on a nearby tree. This 'beetle' transformed into Rita Skeeter, Harry's least favourite writer.

"Well now," she said with a mischievous grin. "Another interesting story to publish!"

So Rita left for Hogsmeade for sleep, knowing rest was important, especially (according to her) to come up with something great to write.

 _More chapters coming soon!_


	16. Chapter 16

_Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own the series, just the fanfic. The series rights belong to J.K. Rowling. No copyright intended._

 **Warning: Readers discretion is advised in this chapter, due to Ron and a few of his group members sending howlers that will say some hurtful things!**

Ch. 16

A Turn For The Worst

Harry arrived in the Great Hall for breakfast the next morning. As usual, Fred, George, Lee, Ginny, Neville and Dean joined him. As everybody began filing into the Great Hall, they noticed that Ron and his group of tormentors hadn't come for breakfast. They were both relieved and surprised, so they wouldn't have to deal with their antics.

"I'll bet they're plotting another scheme!" guessed Harry.

"More than likely," said Neville. "I would've thought that their plan having backfired last night would've made them learn."

"Evidently not," said Fred. "Especially with Ickle Ronnykins!"

"Mum will be even more angry with him," said Ginny. "Ronald has already crossed the line!"

"He and his group have already been doing something unforgivable." said George.

"I definitely would've expected better from Hermione," said Lee. "But it doesn't seem like she is as bright as the whole school thought."

Harry looked over at the Ravenclaw table and spotted the Beauxbatons students table by it. Gabby spotted Harry, smiled and waved at him. Harry smiled and waved back at her, knowing Gabby's smile was irresistible. Harry was about to eat his breakfast when he spotted Hedwig flying down toward him. She wasn't flapping her left wing all that well, which was a clear sign that she was injured. To Harry's horror, she had a familiar red envelope in her beak. Hedwig landed in front Harry clumsily.

"Hedwig, who did this to you?" asked Harry with concern.

Hedwig hooted in a way that told Harry that her injuries were caused by somebody. Harry had a correct idea who could've injured his owl, especially after spotting the red envelope, which turned out to be a howler, from Hermione. Hedwig's wing was injured to the point where Harry decided that she shouldn't fly, concerned she could aggravate her injury more.

"Oh no!" Harry gasped as he saw the howler from Hermione. "Hermione sent me a howler!"

You'll have to open it, Harry," said Neville reluctantly. "Ignoring it is much worse!"

With a trembling hand, Harry opened the howler. As soon as it was opened, it shouted:

 **"HARRY JAMES POTTER, I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU MADE A MOCKERY OUT OF ME LAST NIGHT! YOU ARE THE MOST DESPICABLE, AND THE MOST SELFISH PERSON I HAVE EVER MET! PANSY IS ALSO UPSET WITH YOU. WHAT MADE YOU THINK IT WAS ALRIGHT TO STAND HER UP LAST NIGHT? THE BOTH OF YOU ARE DESTINED TO BE TOGETHER FOR ALL ETERNITY! YOU GOING TO THE BALL WITH THAT GABRIELLE LAST NIGHT WAS THE WRONG THING TO DO...!"**

Gabby looked up and saw the howler. She gulped, terrified at what Hermione's howler was howling at Harry. Upon hearing her name, Gabby cowered, much to the shock of Fleur, Kassidy and Kassandra. The rest of the Beauxbatons students just shot Gabby a nasty glare (as if to say that they were right all along).

 **"...I HAVE HAD JUST ABOUT ENOUGH OF YOUR GLORY-HOG ATTITUDE, AND YOUR TENDENCY TO CORRUPT EVERYBODY HERE AT HOGWARTS! IT'S BAD ENOUGH THAT YOU HAVE ALREADY CORRUPTED OUR HEAD OF HOUSE..."**

Professor McGonagall also looked up and saw Harry's howler from Hermione. This was more than enough for Professor McGonagall to turn bright red, with a combination of embarrassment and anger. How dare Miss Granger assume that Harry is out to corrupt everybody, and how dare she bring her own head of house into this.

 **"...AND RON IS MAD THAT YOU ALSO CORRUPTED HIS MUM AND DAD! HE EVEN WARNED YOU SEVERAL TIMES TO STAY AWAY FROM HIS FAMILY! YOU EVEN COST HIM THE OPPORTUNITY TO DANCE WITH ME AT THE BALL LAST NIGHT! DON'T EVEN BOTHER ASKING ME NOR RON FOR FORGIVENESS, YOU HAVE RUINED ALL THOSE CHANCES! WE DON'T KNOW WHY WE EVEN BOTHERED TO BEFRIEND YOU IN THE FIRST PLACE! BURN IN HELL, POTTER!!"**

The howler burst into flame once it was finished. Harry pushed his breakfast plate away, his stomach burning with fright. Fred, George and Ginny were shocked that Ron and Hermione assumed their mum and dad were corrupted. Not long after, one of the school owls delivered Ginny a howler, from Ron. Knowing the inevitable, Ginny opened her howler that shouted:

 **"GINEVRA MOLLY WEASLEY, I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD FRATERNIZE WITH THE ENEMY LAST NIGHT! I EVEN WARNED YOU, FRED AND GEORGE TO STAY AWAY FROM POTTER! HE HAS BEEN A SELFISH PRAT FOR YOU-KNOWS-HOW-LONG! MUM AND DAD ARE MAD AT YOU FOR ASSOCIATING WITH AN ATTENTION SEEKER, WHO LIKES TO CORRUPT ALL THE TEACHERS INTO BELIEVING HIS LIES...!"**

Professor McGonagall was even more embarrassed. Professors Sprout, Snape and Flitwick were also embarrassed. As if Professor Snape was mad enough at many of his potions ingredients gone missing, hearing Ron's howler indirectly bringing him into this just angered him further.

 **"...THEY ARE ON THE VERGE OF MARCHING UP TO THE SCHOOL TO DRAG YOU HOME IF YOU DON'T CHANGE YOUR ATTITUDE! DON'T LET ME CATCH YOU HANGING OUT WITH VIKTOR KRUM, THE BOTH OF YOU WILL BE SORRY...!"**

Viktor stopped at looked at Ginny, hardly believing what he was hearing from Ron's howler. Ginny was terrified, as were Fred and George. How could Ron say something like this? They also couldn't believe Hermione would do this as well.

 **"...AS OF RIGHT NOW, GINEVRA, YOU ARE NO LONGER MY SISTER! NO SISTER OF MINE EVER FRATERNIZES WITH THE ENEMY, AND NO SISTER OF MINE CERTAINLY DOESN'T HANG OUT WITH GLORY-HOGS LIKE POTTER...!"**

Fred and George gasped. Ron truly went too far. They couldn't believe what Ron had said. The four heads of houses were shocked at Ron for saying that Ginny was no longer his sister. Viktor was also terrified, he couldn't believe it either. Then Ron's howler turned toward Harry and finished it's rant:

 **"...SHAME ON YOU, POTTER! I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE YOU DEFIED ME! YOU HAVE DONE SOMETHING UNFORGIVABLE, BY CORRUPTING PROFESSOR MCGONAGALL AND THE OTHER HEADS OF HOUSES, AND CERTAINLY CORRUPTING MY FAMILY! YOU HAD TO KEEP UP WITH YOUR ATTENTION SEEKING ATTITUDE SO PEOPLE WOULD PITY YOU! PISS ON YOU, POTTER! PISS ON YOU!! PISS ON YOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!"**

Ron's howler burst into flame once it was finished. Harry was even more petrified with fright. Ginny just ran out of the Great Hall, in tears. She was crying so hard that it was heard by everyone in the Great Hall. Fred and George were hurt emotionally, realizing that Ron had gone crazy. Upon seeing Professor McGonagall red-faced with anger, Harry mistakenly believed she was mad at him, causing him to cower a bit.

"How could he say that?" asked Lee. "Saying that Ginny is no longer his sister. That isn't something you can take back!"

"Yeah," agreed Neville. "Ron just said something unforgivable."

"Mum is gonna be even angrier at Ron for saying those hurtful things!" said George.

"Don't you worry, Harry," assured Fred. "We know you wouldn't do anything like this!"

Harry just nodded to show he understood. He was still too petrified with fright to even say anything. Even the four heads of houses were stunned that Ron would say something so unforgivable. Professor McGonagall even felt a tear shedding after having witnessed Ginny running out of the Great Hall in tears.

"How could Mr. Weasley say that?" wondered Professor Sprout.

"This just proves that he's insensitive," said Professor Snape. "I... I... find it hard to believe all that!

"I know," said Professor McGonagall. "As if they are in enough trouble..."

The teachers and staff noticed another owl sending, yet another howler. The third howler was dropped in front on Neville, who noticed that it was from Hannah. He reluctantly opened it, which shouted:

 **"NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM, HOW COULD YOU CHOOSE THAT LUNA GIRL OVER ME? YOU REALLY HAD TO LET POTTER CORRUPT YOU, DIDN'T YOU? I THOUGHT YOU HAD THE DECENCY TO CHOOSE ME. WE COULD'VE HAD A GREAT FUTURE TOGETHER, BUT TOO LATE NOW, LONGBOTTOM!"**

The howler turned to Harry and finished:

 **"YOU GO STRAIGHT TO HELL, POTTER!!"**

The howler burst into flame, terrifying Harry even more. Did Ron and his group increase their determination to drive him out of Hogwarts? Neville was also terrified, believing that Hannah could be out to beat up Luna for (in her mind) stealing and corrupting her man. Still believing Professor McGonagall to be mad at him, Harry ran out of the Great Hall and headed for a nearby boys lavatory. All this brought back one too many painful memories of his life before Hogwarts with the Dursleys, especially with his Uncle Vernon.

"Geez," said Fleur. "Harry's reaction... all that seems to imply that his life before Hogwarts was a terrible one!"

"Y-Y-Yeah," said Gabby. "I-I-I just d-d-don't un-un-understand why he didn't say anything."

"It must be that he's scared that something worse could happen." guessed Fleur.

Just when everyone thought it was over, yet another howler was being delivered, to Gabrielle. After the owl dropped the howler in front of her, Gabby picked it up and looked at who the sender was.

"Uh-oh!" she said. "Pansy P-P-Parkinson just s-s-sent me a howler!"

Gabby opened it, with a trembling hand, while Fleur, Kassidy and Kassandra could only watch (albeit reluctantly). Once the howler was opened, it shouted:

 **"GABRIELLE DELACOUR! I WARNED YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM HARRY. HE'S MINE, AND I WILL NOT TOLERATE YOU HANGING OUT WITH HIM. HE AND I ARE DESTINED TO BE MARRIED FOR ALL ETERNITY! HIM ATTENDING THE YULE BALL WITH ME WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MANDATORY! THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING, STAY AWAY FROM POTTER OR YOU WILL BE SORRY, AND I WILL MAKE DAMN SURE OF IT!"**

The howler burst into flame once it was finished. This was too much for Gabby, who was now even more terrified. Fleur, Kassidy and Kassandra were at a loss for words. The other Beauxbatons students shot Gabby another nasty glare. Bursting into tears, Gabby ran out of the Great Hall so fast that Fleur, Kassidy and Kassandra hardly saw it coming. There was so much commotion that the teachers stood up to try to get order restored. In the ensuing chaos, none of the teachers noticed that Professor Dumbledore managed to slip away back to the headmaster's office.

Once Professor Dumbledore made it to his office, he began to think about what had happened. Was this an unexpected boost to his plan to make sure Harry was prepared for his destiny? Should he tell Mr. Weasley about his plan? Should he also tell the rest of Mr. Weasley's group of tormentors? No, he knew it would be suspicious, he can't let any teachers, especially his deputy headmistress, find out about his plan. He settled with indirectly letting Ron and his group get away with their behaviour, Harry needed to be prepared for his destiny, and all this will help him stay on track! Satisfied with this, he called for Cornelius, Ludo, Mundungus, Bartys Sr and Jr to his office, who arrived a few minutes later.

"So what's new, Albus?" asked Cornelius.

"Well, it seems like Mr. Ronald Weasley has formed his group of tormentors," informed Professor Dumbledore. "There was alot of commotion about it during breakfast, where several howlers were delivered. Three of them even faced Harry before finishing up."

"Excellent," said Barty Sr. "Definitely a boost to the plan!"

"This might even be good for Miss Ginevra Weasley as well," said Professor Dumbledore. "Maybe she and Miss Pansy Parkinson both marrying Harry eventually in the future will also ensure that the plan works!"

"Great plan, Albus," said Barty Jr. "Another great idea for the plan is to have Miss Weasley be Potter's hostage for the second task!"

"What a wonderful idea," said Professor Dumbledore with delight. "This way, Miss Weasley will be grateful for Harry coming to her rescue!"

"Maybe Miss Parkinson could be Harry's second hostage," suggested Ludo. "So that she can also be grateful to Harry also!"

"Excellent!" said Professor Dumbledore ecstatically.

"Harry will be starting the task first," said Mundungus. "And that has to be a for-sure part of the plan!"

"So true!" stated Ludo.

The six manipulative wizards started grinning evily, knowing that all this will be exceedingly helpful to the plan.

(Meanwhile, in the courtyard on the school grounds)

Fred, George and Lee were looking for Ginny. They managed to find her, sitting on the ground, crying into her knees.

"Ginny." said Fred.

Ginny looked up and tearfully said, "How could Ron even say something like that?"

"I don't know," said George. "He shouldn't have said that."

"This just proves how selfish Ron really is." said Lee.

"Yep," said Fred. "Somebody who has a heart wouldn't have said those things."

So Fred, George and Lee helped Ginny up and helped escort her to the Gryffindor common room. They were now even more determined to prank Ron and his group members in retaliation.

(Meanwhile, in a cave close to the path to Hogsmeade)

Ron and his group were brewing up more love potions, hate potions, berserk potions and they decided to brew up a new kind of potion called the manipulation potion. The drinker of the manipulation would be easy to manipulate into doing something that the potion giver 'instructs' them to do. They decided that moving their area of operation to the cave was better, since they all knew the howlers were bound to cause chaos and that the teachers (especially Professors McGonagall and Snape) were likely out looking for the group. Professor Snape in particular was on an unrelenting warpath to find the culprits who have been stealing potion ingredients from his personal stores. Professor McGonagall was also helping out. Because of that, the entire group also decided to stay out of the castle, knowing that they would face the inevitable if they went back in. The group also charmed the cave with bedrooms and a dining room for all those reasons. They all believed that everything would cool down after a while if they also avoid going to Hogsmeade as much as possible. The cave door opened and in walked Padma, with three other fourth year Ravenclaw students.

"We have three new recruits," informed Padma. "Mandy Brocklehurst, Michael Corner and Anthony Goldstein, from Ravenclaw!"

"Excellent," said Ron with glee. "We certainly could use some more Ravenclaw students!"

"Yeah," said Michael to Ron. "We realized that Potter was a cheat long ago. We had no idea that you had formed this group until last night, when Padma returned to the Ravenclaw common room."

"We also figured that the more help you had, the better, and the faster we can create enough potions!" said Anthony with delight.

"Of course," said Ron gleefully. "Potter made fools out of me and the rest of the group!"

"For sure," said Mandy. "Since Potter wants to keep lying and corrupting everybody. I could help you all teach him a lesson!"

"And he never realizes the error of his actions!" said Susan with distaste.

"Well, hopefully father will get that fake document to Gringotts today," informed Draco. "Potter will be in for a nasty loop once he finds out too late what he's subject to face!"

"For sure," said Ron, grinning evilly. "That howler better be enough for Fred, George and Ginny especially to stay away from Potter!"

"And for that Gabrielle girl to also stay away from Potter," said Pansy. "She is especially the biggest threat to my marriage plan!"

"As long as we don't see her with her sister, Fleur," said Susan. "Then we'll make sure we confront her and teach her a lesson!"

"So true," said Hannah. "I'll make sure Longbottom isn't anywhere near Loony, and I'll slip a love potion into his drink, thus making sure he breaks up with her, and I'll have him."

"I'll slip a love potion into Viktor's drink," said Hermione. "This will ensure he stays away from Ginevra. And I'll have the man whose rightfully mine!"

"I'll make sure Potter drinks his beverage after I slip a love potion into it," said Pansy. "But with Potter, I'll have to be as discreet as possible!"

"And perhaps I could even slip a manipulation potion into Gabrielle's drink," said Ron. "This will ensure she stays away from Potter, and not be a threat to Pansy!"

"Great idea, Ron," said Draco. "Maybe I can try slipping a love potion into her sister Fleur's drink!"

"Excellent, Draco!" said Crabbe and Goyle.

"Once Potter has been given a love potion," said Pansy. "I'll also give him a manipulation potion, and order him to do away with that Gabrielle girl, and bring her to Ron!"

"Excellent," said Ron with glee. "She will finally realize who she really ought to be with!"

"If I spot Longbottom with Loony," said Susan. "I'll take a berserk potion and scare Loony away. That will ensure she breaks up with him, and I'll slip a manipulation potion into Longbottom's drink. This will also ensure that Hannah will get Longbottom to be with her!"

"Good thinking, Susan," said Hannah. "That Loony Lovegood didn't have any right to steal Longbottom from me! She will soon find out the hard way!"

All of a sudden, an alarm charm was triggered. Hermione went by the closed door, cast the one-way peephole charm and looked out.

"Uh-oh," said Hermione. "There are a number of teachers out there!"

The rest of the group stopped what they were doing and came to look for themselves. They were all stunned at seeing alot of teachers not far from their entrance door. They all panicked inside upon seeing Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape were there as well. Draco also cast a supersensory charm to see what all the teachers could be discussing.

"Well, Mr. Weasley and his group have earned themselves indefinite Saturday and Sunday detentions for the rest of the school year." said Professor McGonagall.

"Agreed," stated Professor Snape. "If I think what I'm thinking is accurate, it's quite possible Weasley and his group could be behind the disappearances of many of the ingredients from my private stores."

Ron and his group panicked even more upon realizing Professor Snape suspects them to be responsible for the theft of the potion ingredients for the potions they've been brewing.

"What will we do about this, Severus?" asked Professor Sprout.

"Maybe set up some security wards," said Professor Snape. "Ones that will tell me the culprits."

"Yeah, that'd be a good idea." agreed Professor Flitwick.

Ron and his group panicked even more. They realized that they needed to do something to make sure no teacher would find out.

"We'll have to modify their memories," stated Draco. "It'll be the only way to continue with our plan."

"Yeah," agreed Ron. "We must succeed. Failure is _not_ an option!"

"But, we must cast a disillusionment charms on ourselves first," said Draco. "That way, no one will see this coming!"

The disillusionment charm the group cast on themselves was one where the entire group can see each other, but nobody else could. This allowed Ron and his group to get around undetected, while at the same time, they wouldn't accidentally run into each other. After taking the necessary precautions, the entire group walked out of the cave, with Hermione casting a fidelius charm on it, so only the entire group could see it. They all walked around, looking for any teacher they believed could find out about their plans. Draco cast the 'obliviate' charm on Professor Snape, Ron cast the charm on Professor McGonagall, Susan cast it on Professor Sprout while Padma cast the spell on Professor Flitwick. The rest of the group went around casting the charm on a variety of the other teachers, ensuring they wouldn't get caught. Once they were satisfied, they all retreated to the cave. All of the teachers were dazed and confused, making them wonder why they were outside.

"What are we doing out here?" asked Professor Snape.

"I'm not sure." said Professor McGonagall.

So all the teachers went back into the castle. Back in the cave, Ron and his group were relieved that the plan worked out well. So they all went back to brewing the potions.

"We'll also have to use the disllusionment charm to sneak more ingredients when needed, from now on." informed Draco.

"Good idea," said Justin. "It'd also be best to do this at nighttime. This way, getting caught is less likely!

"Good thinking, Justin," said Ernie. "Our plan is bound to succeed, as long as the necessary precautions are taken."

"Yep," said Ron. "Remember, failure is _not_ an option!"

"Maybe we can get another kind of 'marriage' contract," suggested Hermione. "So Ginevra can be subject to eternal enslavement with Potter! This will teach her a lesson for stealing Viktor from me!"

"Great idea, Hermione," said Ron. "It will be sweet, sweet revenge, since she especially was warned to stay away from Potter!"

"Perhaps with this one," suggested Draco. "I'll be Ginny's mate. Since Pansy already signed her name and forged Potter's on that last one, I'll inform father to get another one, where I'll sign my name onto marriage part, and forge Ginevra's signature where her name is supposed to go, ensuring that she is mine!"

"That'll be great," said Susan and Hannah. "Two slaves!

"For sure," said Lavender. "That whore is too stupid to realize that Viktor Krum is Hermione's mate!"

"And that bimbo, Gabrielle," stated Pansy. "She is also too stupid to notice that Potter is mine! If she even comes near Harry, oooh, she'll be sorry!"

"I'll use the fire and notify father of this," said Draco. "I just know he'll be over the moon to hear about this! Maybe he can give us some more Felix Felicis."

Ron and his group laughed and grinned evilly as they continued with the plan. While Draco went to notify his father about another 'marriage' contract and more Felix Felicis, the rest of the group continued brewing up the potions.

(Back in the castle)

Harry was walking down the hallway, checking his surroundings to make sure neither Ron nor the rest of his group members were around to to try to hex him or anything. He spotted Neville sitting on a bench with Luna. Harry walked up to them.

"Hey guys," he greeted. "You okay?"

"Yeah," said Neville. "Just that howler at breakfast. I'm worried that Hannah will jump Luna and beat her up."

"There may be a good chance that Susan may do just that as well," said Luna with fright in her voice. "They may very well try that in a 2 on 1 beating."

"It's likely that Hannah could sneak Neville a love potion," guessed Harry. "Pansy has already been planning that with me, and I don't think they'll give up."

"Ron especially won't," said Neville. "Given his jealousy issues."

"Yeah," said Harry. "When I eavesdropped in on their plan in the library, Ron even said that failure isn't an option."

"He especially is letting his ego get to him," said Luna. "Fred and George are thinking of a number of other pranks to pull on him and his group."

"I've also heard Ginny wanting to join them," said Neville. "She's just as determined to prank Ron and his group as Fred and George."

"If any of those tormentors cause trouble," said Harry. "I can also use some charms to prank them. I can also use my invisibility cloak and cause bewilderment for them."

Over in the potions classroom, Professor Snape was cleaning up his classroom to get it prepared for the second half of the school year. He went into his personal stores and found more of ingredients missing. Snape was confused as to how they keep disappearing.

"Why do the ingredients keep disappearing?" he asked himself, with agitation in his voice. "All of the love potion, hate potion and berserk potion ingredients..."

Professor Snape also saw ingredients for the manipulation potions gone, too. Now he was even more furious than he ever was. He also realized that he was obliviated earlier, infuriating him even further, especially also having seen even more polyjuice potion ingredients missing.

"I'll bet that Weasley and his little group are behind all this," said Professor Snape with a smug grin. "I'll make sure that they are expelled, once I have proof!"

Laughing victoriously, he cast some wards around his personal stores. He also cast a few charms that would ensure that whoever breaks into his personal stores will be bound to the classroom until he can catch the culprit (or culprits).

"Weasley and his group's plan is now bound to fail this time!" said Professor Snape with another smug grin.

Satisfied, he left his classroom to give Professor McGonagall the heads up. He found her right outside the front gates, who was also looking for Ron and his group.

"Minerva," said Professor Snape. "Have you found Weasley and his group yet?"

"No," said Professor McGonagall. "They are bound to be somewhere around the grounds."

"Okay," said Professor Snape. "I found alot more of my potion ingredients missing."

"The same ones?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"Yes," said Professor Snape. "I also saw alot of ingredients for the manipulation potion gone missing, too."

"Alot of ingredients for three potions?" asked Professor McGonagall, who was now outraged.

"Five actually," said Professor Snape. "Even alot of ingredients for the polyjuice potion, and the manipulation potion went missing also."

"If we spot Mr. Weasley, as well as anybody in his group, they will be expelled," said Professor McGonagall. "We just need to catch them red-handed."

"I planned that one out," said Professor Snape. "I set up some security wards around my personal stores, to ensure that at least some of the culprits will be caught. I also set up and alarm charm to tell me if the security ward has been triggered."

"Excellent thinking, Severus," said Professor McGonagall. "I even realized that any one of Mr. Weasley's group members had obliviated me."

"I also realized that," said Professor Snape. "I'm determined to make sure they get expelled, after I find proof."

"I'm also determined," said Professor McGonagall. "That kind of behaviour is inexcusable. With the love potions and manipulation potions, they are likely going to eventually attract attention from the Ministry of Magic."

So she and Professor Snape walked back into the castle to notify the teachers of what's been really going on. They were all instructed to be on the lookout for Ron Weasley and his group, and to bring them to a seventh floor unused classroom, so they all could face the four heads of houses once they got caught.

(Meanwhile, at Gringotts)

A man with long blonde hair and a toad-like woman wearing pink cardigan were waiting at the counter. They had just deposited a 'marriage' contract and they had just picked up 'another' one. Once finished, they left Gringotts and started walking back to the Ministry of Magic.

"Well, Dolores," said the man. "This is bound to work as long Potter doesn't find out!"

"Excellent, Lucius," said Dolores Umbridge. "The attention seeker will be in for a nasty loop!"

"I'll also need to send Draco some more Felix Felicis," said Lucius. "To ensure that Potter's plan will never succeed, assuming he has one."

So he and Dolores laughed wickedly as quietly as possible. Once they arrived back at the Ministry, Lucius mailed that second 'marriage' contract to Draco, with an evil smile.

 _More chapters to come soon!_


	17. Chapter 17

_Disclaimer: As usual, no copyright intended. All I own is this fanfic. The series belongs to J.K. Rowling_

Ch. 17

Working Out The Clues

Several weeks have passed. It was January 24th 1995, which was only one month left before the second task. Ron and his group of Harry haters have continued evading the teachers to brew up more of the love, hate, berserk and manipulation potions. Worst for them is that the teachers were still searching the grounds wherever they think Ron and his group could be hiding. The Weasley twins also kept up on planning more possible pranks against Ron and his group, Ron in particular. Before breakfast, Professor McGonagall headed for Professor Dumbledore's office to ask him if he had spotted Ron or any of group members. Luckily for Dumbledore, he was the only one in his office when he heard the knock on his door.

"Come in." said Professor Dumbledore.

Professor McGonagall walked in, with a exasperated look on her face.

"Albus," she started explaining. "Neither me, nor the rest of the teachers have been able to spot Mr. Weasley, nor any of his group members. Have you spotted them?"

"Minerva, I'm sure you're just imagining things," said Professor Dumbledore with false assurance. "What could possibly explain their apparent absences?"

"They haven't shown up for any of their classes," stated Professor McGonagall. "Even the other teachers have noticed."

"I'm sure you're just overreacting, Minerva," said Professor Dumbledore. "You'll probably feel better if you get some breakfast."

So Professor McGonagall left the headmasters office. All this was making her more and more suspicious.

'What could Albus possibly be up to?' she thought. 'Is he really the grandfatherly figure he claims to be all along?'

She continued to the Great Hall for breakfast. Harry arrived and sat at the end closest to the doors, as usual. A couple minutes later, he was joined by Fred, George, Ginny, Lee, Neville and Dean. They looked around and didn't spot Ron, nor his group members, which was a relief for them.

"Ickle Ronnykins will be in so much trouble that..." said Fred.

"Mum won't be too happy with him..."said George.

"To the point where he may be..." said Fred.

"Grounded for two or three whole summers." said George.

"Yeah," agreed Ginny. "Maybe even four or five summers, considering that he declared me no longer his sister."

"Yeah, that was bad," said Harry. "Really bad."

"Dean and I are glad Ron and Seamus aren't sleeping in the dormitory," said Neville. "We've had enough of their bickering about Harry supposedly entering his name into that goblet."

"Not to mention that Ron's snoring is really irritating." said Dean.

"All of the teachers are going crazy with determination to find Ron and his group members," said Lee. "It'll be a field day for them once Ron and his group members get caught."

Professor McGonagall walked by the seven Gryffindors.

"You all haven't spotted Ronald Weasley and his group, have you?" she asked.

"We haven't spotted any of them, professor." said Harry.

"They could be anywhere." guessed Neville.

"Well, if you do spot any of them," said Professor McGonagall. "Do get a teacher, since I believe that they will refuse to cooperate."

"We will, professor," assured Harry. "We'll also make sure they won't expect it."

"Thank you, Mr. Potter." said Professor McGonagall.

"You're welcome, professor." said Harry.

So Professor McGonagall went back to the staff table and finished her breakfast. Then she left to go back to her classroom, where she started writing a notice, informing students and other teachers to be on the lookout for Ron and his group members. Then she cast gemino charms, making at least a hundred copies of the notice. Then she went around the castle, putting the notices up, using a sticking charm on the back, and placed them on the walls.

(Meanwhile, in a cave near Hogsmeade)

Ron and his group members were continuing to brew up more cauldrons of love, hate, berserk and manipulation potions. Ron, Draco, Hermione and Pansy took care of the 'marriage' contracts, while the rest of the members continued brewing the potions.

"If only Dean Thomas was part of the group," said Ron. "Then the signature forging would go faster if he helped Pansy out with that."

"I didn't know he was also good with a quill," said Pansy. "I wonder how we'll get him to join."

"Yeah, he is," said Hermione. "Potter just had to corrupt him. This is why Potter no longer belongs in Gryffindor, because he dishonored the house."

"He would dishonor any house as well," said Lavender. "Hogwarts would've been better off if he never even showed up in the first place."

"Hogwarts would definitely be in bigger trouble if Potter continues to corrupt the teachers and students," said Justin. "He thinks winning the battle makes him even more famous."

"He may have won the battle at the Yule Ball," said Ernie with distaste. "But the war will go on until we win it."

"Yes, we definitely must succeed," reminded Ron. "We'll continue to let Potter know that. Remember, failure is _not_ an option!"

So they went back to brewing the potions, determined to (in their minds) teach Harry a lesson once and for all.

Meanwhile, Harry, Neville and Dean were heading to the dungeons for potions class. Daphne and Tracey caught with them (since the fourth year Gryffindors and Slytherins were sharing their potions class). Daphne noticed Harry had a smug grin on his face.

"Harry, what's with that grin?" she asked curiously.

"Well, I have written a note for Professor Snape," said Harry. "It seems like he suspects Ron and his group to be responsible for the disappearance of many of the ingredients in his personal stores."

"Ooh," said Tracey. "He'll be pleased that some of the students believe him!"

"Yeah," said Harry. "But I have written it anonymously, just in case Ron or anybody in his group is around and suspects that other students found out. I'm gonna wait until after class to put the note on his desk."

"Good thinking," said Daphne. "Won't Ronald and his group members be mad when they see that they won't be able to steal any more ingredients."

"Yeah, it's time they learn a lesson, once and for all!" said Dean.

So they all made it to Professor Snape's classroom, and they found their seats. Soon, Professor Snape walked in and started talking roll call. He noticed that some of the students were absent once more. He, once again, suspected that the ones absent were Ron Weasley and his group members. He began discussing today's lesson, and soon, the students started working on today's potion.

Soon, class was over, with the students heading off to their next lesson. Harry pretended to have trouble organizing his bag, to make sure Professor Snape would find out when he least expects it. He walked up to Snape's desk quietly, put the note of top of it, and walked out to head off to his next lesson.

(Meanwhile, at Gringotts)

Ragnok, the head goblin of Gringotts, was going over some paperwork when Griphook, another Gringott's goblin came in, with an urgent look on his face.

"Ragnok," said Griphook. "We've got some problem with the Potters vault!"

"What kind of problem?" asked Ragnok.

"I'm not quite sure," said Griphook. "Some kind of alarm charm is ringing like crazy!"

They went to the Potters vault to investigate. Ragnok used his goblin magic to point him to the source of the problem. The problem pointed him to what looked like rolled up documents, and he picked them up. Ragnok and Griphook left the Potters vault and went back to Ragnok's office. Then he and Griphook unrolled the documents and looked over them. What they saw shocked them.

"Griphook," said Ragnok with urgency in his voice. "We need to send Harry Potter a notification at once."

"There's another problem on that matter," said Griphook. "All the other notifications about Harry Potter's inheritance have been sent to him since he turned eleven. But he hasn't responded to any of them!"

"We will need to investigate that problem as well," said Ragnok. "There might be something up about that."

"Yes sir," said Griphook. "I'll get right on that!"

So Griphook started his investigations, just as determined as Ragnok to find out why Harry hasn't responded to any of the notifications from Gringotts.

(Back at Hogwarts)

It was lunchtime, as Harry made it the Great Hall, he spotted one of the notice posters outside the door that read:

 _ **Attention!**_

 _All students and teachers, it has come to my suspicions that a group of students have been missing a number of classes, doing something extremely suspicious. Please be on the lookout for these students:_ _ **Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger, Seamus Finnigan, Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil, Susan Bones, Hannah Abbott, Megan Jones, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Ernest MacMillan, Padma Patil, Michael Corner, Anthony Goldstein, Mandy Brocklehurst, Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle!**_ _These students haven't been attending classes nor meals since the Yule Ball. Due to missing so many classes and assignments, these students are facing expulsion from the school. If any student has any information, notify a teacher. If any teachers have information, inform the deputy headmistress. Thank you all for your cooperation._

 _Professor M. McGonagall_

 _Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

Harry grinned upon reading the notice. Ron and his group members were truly going to face expulsion from Hogwarts once they get caught.

"Hi Harry!" said a familiar voice behind him.

Harry jumped a bit and turned around. He saw that it was Gabby.

"Hi Gabby," said Harry. "I was just reading this notice poster!"

"This makes those students cowards," said Gabrielle. "They aren't willing to face what will come to them. That will just make it worse."

"Yeah," said Harry. "It does, especially since they would always 'confront' me with several others in the group standing close by, to make sure that I wouldn't try retaliating without threats of getting hexed."

"Well see you later, Harry." said Gabby.

"Alright, bye Gabby." said Harry.

So Harry went to sit at the Gryffindor table, at the end closest to the doors. while Gabby went to sit at the Beauxbatons table next to the Ravenclaw table. Harry was joined by Ginny, Dean and Neville. Luna decided to join them for lunch as well.

"I wonder where Fred, George and Lee are." said Harry.

"They said that they had personal business," said Ginny. "They didn't tell me."

"It could be another prank of theirs." guessed Neville.

"Whichever prank it is," said Dean. "It's likely gonna involve Ron and his group members."

"Yeah," said Luna. "Those pathetic excuses for students are a disgrace, especially for treating Harry the way they had been ever since Halloween."

Some minutes later, Fred, George and Lee came into the Great Hall, looking triumphant, as they sat by Harry, Ginny, Neville, Dean and Luna.

"Well," said Lee. "We were taking care of that prank against Ron and his group members!"

"What's the prank?" asked Harry.

"We set up security charms..." said Fred.

"That will notify a teacher..." said George.

"That Ron or anybody in his group..." said Fred.

"Will have tripped the charms..." said George.

"If any of them approach any school entrance!" said Fred and George.

"That's definitely gonna be a bad day for them!" said Neville.

"That prank would be good for us and everyone else, but bad for them!" said Ginny.

"And," said Lee. "As a bonus, if Ron or anybody in his group trips those security charms, another charm will prevent them from trying to escape!"

"How long will those charms last?" asked Dean.

"Until all the group members are caught!" said Fred, George and Lee with joy.

"Do any of the teachers know about this?" asked Ginny.

"Not yet," said George. "We'll tell Professor McGonagall about it later, when classes are finished for the day!"

(Later that afternoon, in the cave by Hogsmeade)

Ron and the rest of his group were continuing to brew up the potions. They were all ecstatic to enslave Harry and Ginny for eternity.

"I can't believe our plan is on the verge of succeeding!" said Ron ecstatically.

"No kidding," said Draco. "I can't wait to see the look on Potter's face when he finds out too late what will happen to him for the rest of his natural life!"

"No doubt about that," said Hermione. "It's too late for forgiveness, and he needs to be taught a lesson."

"Oh no!" said Susan, who was keeping an eye on what was going on outside with a one-way peephole charm. "We have some teachers outside on the path to Hogsmeade!"

Everybody stopped what they were doing and came to get a look at what was going on outside.

"Well, no sign of them," said Professor Sprout. "I wonder where they could be."

"They've been a slippery bunch," said Professor Snape. "But I doubt they've left the grounds."

Ron and his group started panicking. They thought that by obliviating the teachers, they wouldn't suspect anything about their plan. Now, it's obvious that they could be wrong, but they refused to acknowledge it, believing that as long they stay away from the castle, they wouldn't get caught in the act of their plan.

"There hasn't been a trace of them anywhere," said Professor McGonagall, confused. "Even the ghosts haven't found them anywhere."

"And to think some of them in my house would join Mr. Weasley's group," said Professor Flitwick. "It's too disappointing."

"None of them have even been found in Hogsmeade." said Hagrid.

"Don't give up," said Professor McGonagall. "I'm sure they can't be too far. They're in too much trouble now. They've just earned themselves expulsion from Hogwarts when and if they're ever found."

"Agreed," said Professor Snape. "I'll even find evidence that they've been stealing the potion ingredients from my personal stores."

"We will find that evidence, Severus," assured Professor Sprout. "Once Mr. Weasley and his group members are reprimanded."

So the teachers continued the search for Ron and his group members, all of them just as determined as Professors Snape and McGonagall.

"We're not gonna be safe if we walk back to the castle," said Hannah, with fright in her voice. "We can't let the teachers catch us."

"Yes, our plan must succeed at all costs!" said Ron with desperation in his voice.

"We do need to find a way to get Dean Thomas to join us," said Hermione. "Seeing that he's good with a quill, and that can get the forged signatures for the contracts done faster."

"For sure," said Pansy with glee. "They say you shouldn't let talent go to waste!"

"Exactly," agreed Susan. "There has to be a way to get Dean to join, forcefully if it's needed."

"I have an idea!" said Hermione.

"What idea is that, Hermione?" asked Ron.

"Well," said Hermione with an evil grin. "Some of us can wait close by the cave, as long as we're under the disillusionment charms, then we can stupefy Dean, and then drag him to the cave and tie him up with magical ropes!"

"That's an excellent idea, Hermione," said Draco. "Maybe we can do the same with Potter and those who have supported him."

"Definitely," agreed Hannah, who also has an evil look on her face. "Loony Lovegood especially will be stupefied at the first opportunity. Since she corrupted Longbottom and stole him from me, I'll deal with her!"

"And that bimbo Gabrielle is also at the top of the list," said Pansy ecstatically. "Since she is a threat to my 'marriage to Potter' plan, she will dealt with by me."

"Several of us ought to stay close by," suggested Justin. "Just in case if they try to resist, and they likely will."

"Yeah," said Mandy. "We'll also need to make sure they are alone, so we can get away with this."

"Good thinking, Mandy," said Padma. "We mustn't have any witnesses."

"And if there are any witnesses," said Parvati. "They must be obliviated."

"Yes," said Lavender. "Otherwise, it would be too risky."

So they went back to brewing the potions, with increased determination to make sure that Harry would be dealt with once and for all.

(Meanwhile, in the Transfiguration classroom)

Professor McGonagall was working on grading the assignments from today's lessons when she heard a knock at the door.

"Come in." she called.

Fred, George and Lee came in, to let their head of house know about their prank against Ron and his group members.

""Are you busy, professor?" asked Lee.

"If this is important, then I can get back to grading the assignments when you're finished." said Professor McGonagall.

"We just wanted to tell you that we came up with a plan that will help you and the other teachers catch Ron and his group members!" said Fred.

"What kind of plan is it?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"We charmed all entrances with security wards," said George. "These will only be tripped by Ron and/or his group members. As a bonus, the wards also come with charms that will keep them stuck in place until any teacher comes by and escort those students to any teacher's office."

"And they will get cancelled once all members of Ron's group have been reprimanded." said Lee.

"Wow," said Professor McGonagall. "This will definitely make this easier."

"We knew we had to teach them a lesson, once and for all," said Fred. "Especially Ron, Hermione, Seamus, Lavender and Parvati. They also unjustly kicked Harry out of Gryffindor tower shortly before the first task."

"Why didn't you tell me about this?!" asked Professor McGonagall with a little disappointment in her voice.

"Because they blackmailed us," said George. "They blackmailed me, Fred, Lee, Neville, Ginny and Dean into not to interfere or they would beat Harry to a pulp. Ron and his group have also been spreading rumours to the students who were neutral about Harry being an attention seeker, traitor, and cheater, in an attempt to drive him out of Hogwarts."

"This is... outrageous!" said Professor McGonagall with anger. "I can't believe they would continue bullying Mr. Potter, but to blackmail you and any of his real friends... I... just... I-I..."

She was at a loss for words, so mad at what she had been told. Never had she heard about this kind of behaviour, especially from some of her lions. She especially expected better from Hermione, who was one of the brighest witches among the fourth year students.

"Thank you for the information, Mr. Weasleys and Mr. Jordan." said Professor McGonagall. "I'd better inform the other teachers about this!"

"You're welcome, professor." said the three as they left to head back to Gryffindor tower.

Meanwhile, Snape was in his office, going over the assignment parchments when he spotted a note on his desk. Professor Snape picked up and, confused, opened it, which read:

 _Professor Snape,_

 _Just thought I'd give you a heads up, Ronald Weasley and his group members have been stealing the potion ingredients from your personal stores. Even though I have no actual proof, I did overhear their plan of using love potions, hate and even berserk potions at the Yule Ball. It also seems likely they could've started brewing the manipulation potions. There are a number of students who believe your suspicions, too._

 _Signed,_

 _A student willing to help a teacher out_

Professor Snape finished reading the note, relieved that there were students who believed him, and not just the teachers. Believing that Mr. Potter was the one who wrote the note, he went through his stack of assignments, found Harry's and looked at his handwriting on his assignment and the handwriting on the note, which appeared to match Harry's on his assignment. He smiled gratefully and, believing that the other students who believed his suspicions were Harry's real friends, decided to plan a meeting with them as soon as possible. He was just as determined as everyone else to see Ron and his group members get expelled from Hogwarts.

 _To be continued!_


	18. Chapter 18

_Disclaimer: As usual, no copyright intended. The series belongs to J.K. Rowling. I just own the fanfic._

Ch. 18

Snape's Secret

It was Saturday morning, the students were excited for another Hogsmeade weekend. They all ate their breakfast, and started filing out to Hogsmeade once they were finished. Over in the cave, Hermione was monitoring the path with the one-way peephole charm. She realized that neither she, nor the rest of the group could go out and stun Harry and/or any of real friends with too many witnesses around.

"There's too many students on the path to Hogsmeade." Hermione informed the group.

"Damn," said Ron. "Too many witnesses equals inevitable punishment!"

"Too risky to try stunning at the moment," said Draco. "The plan will succeed either way!"

"Definitely," agreed Pansy. "Potter must be the last one to be stunned and dragged in here. That way, he won't expect it too much if, one by one, his real friends get dragged in here!"

"True," said Hannah. "But either Dean, Gabrielle or that Loony girl ought to be the first!"

"Yes, that's a must," said Susan. "First, we'll need to add another room, to keep the prisoners in!"

"And conjure up some chairs and tie the prisoners to them with magical rope." said Ernie.

"Precisely," said Hermione. "Once Potter realizes his friends have disappeared, he'll be so thrown off that he won't expect what's coming to him!"

"And that's when we'll stun him," said Lavender. "And drag him here ourselves."

"And I'll tell him that he will be subject to eternal enslavement." said Ron as he smiled evily.

Meanwhile, Harry arrived at the Three Broomsticks tavern on Hogsmeade, for some butterbear. Fred, George, Ginny, Lee, Neville, Dean and Luna arrived about a minute later. They joined Harry at one of the tables. Some minutes later, Ron walked in to 'confront' Harry for like the umpteenth time, angering Harry and his friends.

"Oh look," mocked Harry. "If it isn't Ickle Ronnykins!"

Fred, George, Ginny and Lee laughed at that, angering Ron.

"Don't call me that, Potter!" growled Ron.

"You and your group members are in enough trouble," Harry stated. "You all are facing expulsion!"

"Balderdash," snarled Ron. "I know you're lying!"

"No he isn't, Ronald," said Ginny, outraged. "All of the teachers are really..."

"SHUT UP, GINEVRA!" shouted Ron.

Madam Rosmerta was quietly observing them from the bar, with Ron unaware that not just the teachers, but the adults in Hogsmeade were also informed to be on the lookout for Ron and his group members. Madam Rosmerta went into a back room, got her wand out, and used a charm that allowed one to speak into the wand like a walkie-talkie. She called for Professor McGonagall to come to the Three Broomsticks, after having spotted Ron. Meanwhile, Ron was continuing his argument with Harry and his friends.

"I want you to come along quietly, Potter," Ron insisted. "Pansy has something important to talk to you about."

"Nice try, Ickle Ronnykins," said Harry. "I'm not as dumb as you think I am!"

"Yeah, Ronald," said Ginny. "I also wasn't fooled when your howler said mum and dad weren't happy with me!"

"She's furious with you," said Fred and George in unison. "Especially when you declared that Ginny is no longer your sister. She wrote that in a letter to us and Ginny."

"It was for her own good." said Ron with a lack of concern.

"Don't ever say that again, Ronald!" said Lee, seething with anger.

"Yeah, Ickle Ronnykins," said Harry, not caring that he was making Ron angrier at being called that. "Now, I'm gonna have to ask you nicely to walk out of here and leave us alone."

Ron didn't listen to Harry. Instead, he just hoched and spat into Harry's goblet of butterbear, infuriating him even further. Ron also refused to acknowledge that he was underestimating Harry big time.

"Really, Ronald?" asked a furious Harry. "Really? Is that how one should act?"

"You ain't my teacher, Potter," said Ron. "You ain't even my mum or dad, nor my head of house."

"Oh okay," said Harry sarcastically. "Well, I have a little surprise for you!"

Harry just threw his butterbear in Ron's face, causing Ron to splutter and wipe it off frantically.

"Oh I'm sorry," said Harry defiantly. "How about another one?"

So he picked up Neville's goblet of butterbear and splashed that in Ron's face. Neville didn't mind, since he knew Ron was a jealous person, and that Harry intended to teach Ron a lesson.

"You'll pay for that Potter." said Ron as he continued wiping butterbear off of his face.

"How about another one?" asked Harry, seething with anger.

So he picked up Lee's goblet of butterbear, splashing that in Ron's face as well, for good measure. Ron angrily left out through the back door, but not before shooting Harry a look that said he'll be sorry he did that. Once Ron left, Harry went up to the bar counter just as Madam Rosmerta came back. Harry bought two more goblets of butterbear for Neville and Lee, to make up for using theirs while teaching Ron a lesson.

"This is my way of apologizing for using your butterbear." Harry told Neville and Lee while handing them their respective second goblets of butterbear.

"It's all good, Harry," said Lee. "Ickle Ronnykins deserved that."

"You don't have to apologize, Harry," said Neville. "There's always getting more. Plus, Ron needed to be taught a lesson."

Yeah," said Harry. "I'm gonna go for a walk. I need to get rid of this anger."

"Alright, Harry," said Fred and George in unison. "See ya later!"

"See ya!" said Harry to his friends as he left.

A few minutes later, Professor McGonagall came into the Three Broomsticks, determined to catch Ron red-handed, and approached Madam Rosmerta.

"Where did Mr. Weasley go?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"He left, out through the back door." informed Madam Rosmerta.

"He did," said Harry's friends as they approached the bar counter. "He could already be further away by now."

"Oh okay," said Professor McGonagall. "I was so close to reprimanding him."

"It's not your fault, professor," said Neville. "It was just a matter of bad timing."

"I understand, Mr. Longbottom," said Professor McGonagall. "The other teachers and myself are exceedingly determined to catch Mr. Weasley and his group members."

"Don't worry, professor," assured Ginny. "We'll all be on the lookout for them."

"Yeah," said Luna. "We'll be sure to tell them that refusing to face the consequences of their actions is just gonna make it worse."

"Thank you," said Professor McGonagall. "Enjoy your time here."

So she left the Three Broomsticks. Meanwhile, Harry was over by his favorite spot near the Black Lake, trying to clear all the anger out. Harry kind of jumped when somebody hugged him from behind, but relaxed when he saw that it was Gabby, who was accompanied by Kassandra.

"Hi Harry!" said Gabby.

"Hi Gabby," said Harry. "Hi Kassandra!"

"Hi Harry!" said Kassandra.

"How come you were mad?" asked Gabby.

"Ron, being his usual jealous self, foolishly came into the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade," Harry explained. "But, he did something unsanitary by spitting into my goblet of butterbear."

"He sure has an attitude problem," said Kassandra. "As if he isn't in enough trouble."

"And, in retaliation for Ron spitting in my butterbear," Harry went on. "I splashed that in his face. I even splashed two more goblets of butterbear in his face, to teach him a lesson."

"Wow," said Gabby and Kassandra in unison. "I would've loved to see that!"

"But unfortunately, he left before Professor McGonagall could reprimand him," said Harry. "That just shows that he's not willing to take responsibility for his actions."

"But karma is bound to strike him and his group members," said Gabby. "When they least expect it."

"Yep," said Kassandra. "Sooner or later, it's bound to happen."

So the three continued walking along the Black Lake. Unknown to them, they were close by Hermione's hiding spot, where she was spying on the three, intending to make sure Gabby stayed away from Harry. With careful aim, Hermione cast a charm on Gabby to make her trip. Harry caught Gabby before she could fall to the ground. While helping to keep her steady, Harry didn't realize that he was holding Gabby's hand. When they both noticed, they both let go while blushing.

"Oh, sorry!" said Harry and Gabrielle sheepishly in unison.

Seeing them briefly holding hands, Hermione angrily left her hiding spot and walked up to Harry, knowing Pansy would be just as mad as herself.

"Well, what do we have here?" Hermione asked in a no-nonsense voice.

"Oh, it's you!" said Gabby with distaste.

"Potter, do you know how mad Pansy will be at what just happened?" asked Hermione.

"I was just helping Gabby up after she tripped," said Harry, unaware that Hermione was the cause. "And I don't care if Pansy gets mad. She and I are _not_ betrothed!"

"You're so full of shit, Potter!" snarled Hermione.

Gabby and Kassandra gasped at Hermione swearing. This made them angrier, knowing the apparently brighest witch of Gryffindor has completely lost it.

"I think you should be telling yourself that, Granger!" said Harry defiantly. "What makes you think I have an attitude problem?"

"You just do," spat Hermione, oblivious that Harry's anger was getting worse. "I just know it!"

"Well, name something then," Harry challenged. "If you think you're so smart, then tell me why you think I have _this_ so-called attitude problem!"

"Okay," said Hermione, still oblivious to Harry's almost blood boiling anger. "You like to use your status as a celebrity to meet your own selfish needs, like submitting your name into the goblet of fire, corrupting the teachers and various parents, dishonoring the house of Gryffindor, not even bothering to tell Ron how you passed the age line..."

Unknown to Harry, Hermione, Gabby and Kassandra, Professor Snape was walking by. Upon spotting Hermione, he decided to hide and catch the _insufferable know-it-all_ red-handed. He stopped as he heard Hermione ranting.

"...You brainwashed some of the other students to believe your stupid lies," Hermione continued her angry ranting at Harry. "And you persuaded Professor Snape to ignore me in class, just so he can take points away from me for speaking out of turn, and for him to call me an insufferable know-it-all!"

Professor Snape wasn't pleased to hear that. How dare she assume that Harry persuaded him to do all that, when Granger should be ashamed of her actions. By the time Hermione finished her rant, Harry had completely lost his temper.

"AS A MATTER FACT, GRANGER, PROFESSOR SNAPE DOES HAVE A POINT!" he screamed out at the top of his lungs, unknowingly surprising Professor Snape. "EVERY TIME ANY TEACHER ASKS A QUESTION DURING LESSONS, YOU ALWAYS HAVE YOUR HAND UP FIRST, NOT GIVING ANYBODY A STUPID CHANCE TO EARN POINTS FOR THEIR HOUSE! YOU EVEN COMPLAIN ANYTIME A STUDENT MANAGES TO BEAT YOU TO THE PUNCH! YOU EVEN GOT ONTO NEVILLE A NUMBER OF TIMES IN HERBOLOGY FOR RAISING HIS HAND FIRST! YOU ALWAYS CHOOSE TO CRAM MORE KNOWLEDGE INTO YOUR HEAD! EVERY TIME YOU RAISE YOUR HAND TO ANSWER ANY QUESTION, YOU'RE ALWAYS DESPERATE TO BE CALLED ON...!"

Hermione widened her eyes in surprise, with tears stinging the outside of her eyelids. Harry didn't care, he had enough of Ron and his group calling him an attention seeker, glory hog, or anything like that.

"...GEEZ," Harry continued screaming at Hermione at the top of his lungs. "YOU'RE ALWAYS SELFISH WHEN YOU DRAW ATTENTION IN CLASS TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT ANY LESSONS, AND YOU'RE CALLING ME SELFISH?! DIDN'T YOU EVEN STOP TO LOOK AT THE MANY STUDENTS FACES WHO KEEP LOOKING AT YOU WITH DISTASTE? YOU NEVER EVEN CARED ABOUT NEVILLE'S PASSION FOR HERBOLOGY! YOU STILL TRY TO HOG ATTENTION IN CLASSES! IT'S NO WONDER HARDLY ANYBODY CAN STAND YOU!"

Hermione found it hard to believe that Harry would scream all of that at her. More tears were starting to well up. Still, Harry didn't care, as he still wasn't finished.

"And," Harry went on. "When you sent me that howler at breakfast the morning after the Yule Ball, that made you a _coward_. You weren't even willing to face me that morning. But I confronted you face to face for this, I was willing to face you. With all of your desperation in class, you bully any student who answers any question in lessons before you can. You should learn to give other students a chance. As of this moment, you are no longer a Gryffindor, Granger. Your behaviour toward me ever since Halloween has been inexcusable! If I spot any other Gryffindors who are part of your little group, I'll be sure to let them know the same thing!"

Once finished, Harry stomped away. Hermione got up and ran back to the cave, in tears. Gabby and Kassandra were stunned, frozen with fright. Even Professor Snape was stunned. He couldn't move any part of his body, too shocked to do anything. He silently praised Harry for proving to Granger who the selfish one really was. He walked back to his office in the dungeons. Gabby and Kassandra headed back to the Beauxbatons carriage.

Meanwhile, an owl from Gringotts was flying toward the window of the empty classroom where Harry had been sleeping in ever since he was unjustly kicked out Gryffindor Tower. As soon the owl reached the Hogwarts protection wards, the Gringotts notifications for Harry disappeared from the owl's burden. The notification letters reappeared in the headmaster's office, much to Professor Dumbledore's relief. He and his minions finished going over the other part of the plan to prepare Harry for his apparent destiny, and his minions left minutes before.

"As long as Harry doesn't find out," Professor Dumbledore reminded himself with an evil grin. "The plan is bound to succeed!"

(Meanwhile, at The Burrow)

Molly was furious that Ron would be treating Harry like dirt. Even Arthur was mad, he and Molly didn't raise Ron this way. She got another letter from Fred and George. As soon as Errol delivered the letter, Errol collapsed from exhaustion.

"Molly," said Arthur. "The twins just sent us another letter!"

"Oh," said Molly. "Let's see what it says."

She opened the letter which read:

 _Dear mum and dad,_

 _Sorry we didn't give you enough information in our last letter. We know you're even more angry with Ron for assuming that you forbade us and Ginny from hanging out with Harry. We have even more information to tell you about Ron and Hermione as well. The morning after the Yule Ball, Hermione sent Harry a howler blaming him for her awful year. Then moments later, Ron sent one to Ginny, it even played Ron declaring Ginny no longer his sister, then it turned to Harry, warning him not to come anywhere near us! Shortly before the first task, Ron, Hermione and several other Gryffindors kicked Harry out of Gryffindor Tower unjustly. We, along with Ginny, Lee, Neville, and Dean tried to stop them, but due to them blackmailing us beforehand, we couldn't do anything. Professor McGonagall even mentioned that they and their group members are facing expulsion from school. Since none of them were even around and decided to hide, we decided it was time they start suffering the consequences of their actions. We and Lee went around any school entrance, setting up security wards that will catch Ron and his group members and leave them stuck in place once they trip them, with a teacher getting the chance to reprimand them. Professor McGonagall liked the idea, and the wards will end once all of Ron and Hermione's group have been caught._

 _Love,_

 _Fred and George_

"I can't believe he would even say something like to Ginny!" said an enraged Molly after she finished reading the letter.

"Me neither." said Arthur.

Just then, Charlie, who was back for a weekend visit, came downstairs into the living room, where his parents were, with a letter from Ginny.

"Ginny sent us a letter." Charlie informed his parents.

They opened up Ginny's letter, which read:

 _Dear Charlie, mum and dad,_

 _I also have some even more disturbing information for you. As if Ron and his group members aren't in enough trouble, they will be eventually. They've planned to do something to Harry at the Yule Ball involving love potions, hate and berserk potions, and recently, ingredients for the manipulation potion. Harry overheard the group in the library days before that. Harry was under his invisibility cloak at that exact moment, they even have been stealing potion ingredients from Professor Snape's personal stores. He inevitably found out, and he's become determined to catch Ron and his group members and make sure they get expelled from Hogwarts. Harry told me, Fred, George, Lee, Neville, Luna and Dean that he wrote an anonymous note to Professor Snape informing him that a number of students believe his suspicions. Harry also said something about Professor Dumbledore acting all suspicious, as he keeps assuming Harry is just overreacting._

 _Love,_

 _Ginny_

"Ronald is going to be so much trouble," said a still enraged Molly. "Love potions are illegal, and so are manipulation potions!"

Arthur sat down, buried his face into his hands and began shaking his head back and forth, embarrassed that his youngest son let his jealousy get to him, yet again. Even Charlie was angry at Ron, he thought he made it clear to Ron that Harry didn't want to be in the tournament, but he just had to let his jealousy overtake him. It was an even bigger shock when Hermione turned her back on Harry.

(Meanwhile, at Gringotts)

Bill Weasley was just arriving at the entrance when he heard some commotion. He was approached by Griphook and Ragnok, both who had looks of urgency on their faces.

"Mr. Weasley," said Ragnok. "Do you know if Harry Potter has been getting his notifications? I'm only asking because you met him before the Quidditch World Cup."

"Not that I know of," Bill admitted. "Is he supposed to be?"

"Yes," said Griphook. "Ever since his eleventh birthday. For some strange reason, he hasn't responded to any."

"Strange," said Bill, baffled. "Well, since I'm going to watch the second task of the Triwizard Tournament, I can give him one after it has finished."

"Excellent!" exclaimed Griphook. "Mr. Potter needs to get them as soon as possible."

"A quick word of advice, Mr. Weasley," warned Ragnok. "If what I think is true, you shouldn't allow Albus Dumbledore to see it. Myself and Griphook have had hunches that he must be behind this."

"Yes sir," said Bill. "I'll make sure of that. I don't see why Professor Dumbledore wants none of these to reach Harry."

"We don't either," admitted Ragnok. "Make sure Mr. Potter gets that notification letter, even if you must do it in secret."

"Yes sir!" said Bill as he left to finish his assignment.

(Back at Hogwarts)

It was early afternoon and Harry was walking around the castle, trying to pass the time before dinner. Ginny was helping Fred, George and Lee out with the security wards intended to catch Ron and his group red-handed. Neville and Luna were helping Professor Sprout in the greenhouses. Harry was close by the tower where the divination classroom is located when Professor Snape spotted him.

"Mr. Potter," he said. "Do you have some time you can spare?"

"Yes sir." said Harry.

"We'll go to my classroom to talk," said Professor Snape. "I don't want anybody to eavesdrop in on us."

"I understand, professor." said Harry.

So they headed for the dungeons, where Snape's classroom is located. They walked into the classroom and into Snape's office. As soon as they were in, Snape locked the door and cast silencing charms on the door. Then he sat down at his desk, while Harry sat down in a chair in front on Snape's desk.

"Mr. Potter, I just want to know if you really wrote that note?" Professor Snape wondered.

"Yes, I did, professor," Harry admitted. "I figured you needed somebody to tell you about what has been going on!"

"I do appreciate your help," said Professor Snape. "I'm afraid that we will need actual proof to get them expelled. Given the fact that they've been brewing love and manipulation potions especially, that's more than enough for them to get sent to Azkaban."

"Is that because they can be abused easily?" asked Harry.

"Yes, Mr. Potter, that's correct," said Professor Snape. "Do you know what a pensieve is?"

"No sir, I don't" said Harry.

"It is a megical device that allows one review memories," Professor Snape explained. "One can view the memories from a third person point of view. Useful to spot anything you haven't spotted when you were actually experiencing it. I'd like you to view a few memories of mine, if that's okay."

"Sure." said Harry as he got up and walked to Snape's pensieve.

Snape extracted a few well picked memories from his head with the tip of his wand. Then he dropped them into the pensieve. As soon as Professor Snape finished with the memory extraction, he instructed Harry to look into it, where the memory viewing began.

The first memory started playing, which showed a teenage Professor Snape walking under the whomping willow, and discovering a teenage Professor Lupin transforming into a werewolf. Then Harry saw his father as a teenager strolling by, walking under the whomping willow and, upon discovering Snape watching Lupin transform into his werewolf form, dragged Snape out, thus saving his life. With that, the memory ended.

The second memory showed, again a teenage Snape, in Professor Dumbledore's office. Snape had told him about James saving his life, but Dumbledore had a neutral expression on his face.

"Severus," said Professor Dumbledore. "You aren't to form connections with James, Sirius, Remus, nor Peter. They'll treat you with the usual animosity. You must do the same, or you _will_ be expelled. Is that clear?"

"Yes, professor." said Snape in a defeated tone.

At the same time, he realized that James, Sirius, Remus and Peter must've been threatened, too. Snape reluctantly complied, though grudgingly, then the memory ended.

The third memory started with Snape, as the potions teacher, in Dumbledore's office again, shortly before Harry's first year at Hogwarts. Snape was uneasy in Dumbledore's presence, and for good reason.

"Severus," Dumbledore threatened. "You must treat all non-Slytherin students with coldness and animosity. You must play favouritism with the Slytherin students, as usual. You especially must treat Harry with as much hatred as possible, as this is for the greater good, or I will have you thrown in Azkaban! Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, Albus," said Snape reluctantly. "It will be done."

"Good," said Dumbledore. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must instruct the sorting hat to act like Harry will be difficult to place, and ultimately place him in Gryffindor."

With that, Snape left Dumbledore's office. Then the third memory ended, with Harry raising his head. He found it hard to believe that Professor Dumbledore would blackmail a number of people into doing his bidding, for, in his words, the greater good. This left Harry at a loss for words.

"Wow," said Harry, surprised. "I didn't expect any of that!"

"For some reason, Dumbledore wants to make your life as miserable as possible." guessed Professor Snape.

"It does look like it," agreed Harry. "I'm gonna need to steer clear from Professor Dumbledore."

"That's a great idea," said Professor Snape. "Otherwise, he'll try to threaten you to spill any secrets he feels that he needs."

"What if there are moments where avoiding him is hard to do?" asked Harry.

"You could practice occlumency," suggested Professor Snape. "Albus is a master at legilimency. That's where one can read minds, which is illegal. Legilimency only works if the victim looks the legilimens directly in the eye. Occlumency will help you shield your thoughts."

"Yeah, I'll do that," said Harry. "Professor Dumbledore will do anything to keep me, in his words, under his control."

"You'll need your friends to help you with that," Professor Snape advised. "If Albus finds out that I helped you out, he'll have me chucked into Azkaban. So it'd be a great idea if you and your friends are outside for that."

"Yes sir." said Harry.

So he got up and left, so Snape could come up with possible solutions to catch Ron and his minions red-handed, and at the same time, and one to get Professor Dumbledore in hot water, which will be difficult.

"Alright Weasley," Snape said to himself. "It's time for you and your minions to be dealt with... once... and... for all! And Albus, I'll show you what abusing your power will do to someone!"

 _More chapters coming your way!_


	19. Chapter 19

_Disclaimer: As usual, no copyright intended. The rights to the series belong to J.K. Rowling._

Ch. 19

Mystery Of The Golden Egg

A few weeks have past since Harry found out about Professor Dumbledore's countless number of times blackmailing a number of wizards and witches. Hermione refused to realize that Harry was telling the truth about her bossy, know-it-all demeanour. She was even more determined to teach the so-called glory-hog a 'lesson,' with Ron and the rest of his group of ruffians. Harry tried to work out the clue of the golden egg, but all he kept getting was the earsplitting wailing. Harry had also practiced occlumency, with Fred, George and Lee helping, as per Snape's advice, and he was getting better at it after a few tries. It was Saturday morning, Valentines Day, and Harry decided to surprise Gabby by asking her out on a date. As he reached the Beauxbatons carriage, he saw Fleur and Kassidy walking out.

"Hey Harry," Fleur greeted upon spotting him. "How are you?"

"I'm doing good," said Harry. "How about you?"

"Same here," said Fleur. "I heard that you and Gabby held hands briefly!"

"Well, yeah, we did," Harry admitted sheepishly. "It was an accident though. She tripped and I didn't want to see her get hurt. During the moment I was helping her up, we accidentally held hands."

"Yeah, but sometimes the greatest moments happen by accident!" stated Fleur.

"You're right, Fleur," said Harry. "It did feel good. It seemed like Gabby and I are meant for each other!"

"Pretty much!" agreed Fleur.

"I heard about what happened a few weeks ago with that Granger girl!" said Kassidy.

"Yeah, she tried to manipulate me into staying away from Gabby," said Harry. "She even blamed me for many of her problems. I lost my temper and yelled at her, to make it clear that she was causing many of her problems, but she just assumed that I was the cause."

"Gabby was also telling me about it!" said Fleur.

"Kassandra mentioned that your yelling was loud and frightening!" said Kassidy.

"Yeah," said Harry. "I needed to find a different tactic to prove a point to Granger!"

At that moment, Gabby and Kassandra were walking out of the Beauxbatons carriage. Gabby had her hair in dual french braids again, she was also wearing a long-sleeve sky blue polo shirt and dark coloured jeans. She was also carrying a black coat under her left arm, momentarily forgetting to put it on after having spotted Harry.

"Hi Harry," said Gabby, surprised. "I didn't expect you to stop by!"

"Well, I thought I'd surprise you," Harry admitted. "Seeing how you often surprised me with those moments hanging out with me, I thought I'd return the favour!"

This earned Harry a great, big hug from Gabby, with Harry returning it. She was touched by that, even Fleur, Kassidy and Kassandra were happy to see Gabby enjoying the moments she got to spend with Harry.

"And would Miss Gabrielle Delacour like the honour of being my date for Valentine's Day?" asked Harry.

"Yes, Mr. Harry Potter," said Gabby with excitement. "I would like the honour of being your date!"

"Enjoy the date, you two!" said Fleur.

"We will!" said Harry and Gabrielle in unison.

So Harry and Gabrielle started walking to Hogsmeade, arm in arm. Unknown to them, three girls were spying on them. They cast "finite incantantum" on themselves (since they were under the disillusionment charm), revealing them to be Susan, Parvati and Mandy.

"We better let Pansy know what's going on." said Susan.

"Yeah," said Parvati. "We shall let Hannah and Hermione know as well. That way, they can give the love potions to their respective betrothed guys."

"Let's go back to the cave and inform them." said Mandy as she, Susan and Parvati walked away.

Meanwhile, Harry and Gabby made it to Hogsmeade. They stopped at the Three Broomsticks for some butterbeer, where they chose to sit at a booth.

"I was wondering why I hadn't seen you that much for the last few weeks." said Gabby.

"Fred, George and Lee were helping me in training occlumency," stated Harry. "Professor Snape showed me some memories of Dumbledore having blackmailed him."

"Oh okay," said Gabby. "It does seem like Dumbledore is not who he claims to be. He had to have blackmailed many people countless times before."

"Yeah," agreed Harry. "He even tried to force me to go to the Yule Ball with either Hermione or Pansy, claiming that it would allow for the best moments to happen when it was least expected."

"I'm glad you asked me to be your date for the ball!" said Gabby.

"I'm glad to have had you as my date," said Harry while grinning. "How was I lucky to experience that moment?"

"And how was I lucky being asked by the right guy?" asked Gabby, grinning back.

At that moment, the front door to the Three Broomsticks opened. In walked Pansy, Hannah and Hermione, looking for Harry, Neville and Viktor respectively. Luckily for them, Madam Rosmerta wasn't anywhere in sight. The three girls spotted Harry and Gabby and angrily walked up to them. Pansy had her arms crossed and gave Gabby a stern look.

"What do you want, Pugsley?" scoffed Gabby.

"It's Pansy, not Pugsley," snarled Pansy. "Now, you'd better have a good explanation for hanging out with Potter."

"Whatever," said Gabby in a not-so-pleased tone. "Now, if you'll kindly leave me and Harry alone..."

"How many times do I have to warn you to stay away from Potter?" growled Pansy.

"Yeah," said Hannah sternly. "Potter is destined to marry Pansy."

"That's right," agreed Hermione. "Now, either get your arse out of here or you are to come with us."

"You don't own this place," said an outraged Gabby. "Now, leave me and Harry alo..."

At that moment, Hermione and Pansy picked Gabby up by the arms and started dragging her away from the table where she and Harry were sitting. Harry got up to try to help Gabby, only to get pushed into a chair by Hannah, in a violent manner.

"Don't even think about it, Potter," said Hannah angrily through gritted teeth. "Or we'll take you to Ron so fast you will hardly see it coming."

'Good thing I took some Felix Felicis,' thought Hermione. 'Otherwise, thing wouldn't have gone so smoothly.'

At that moment, Ginny and Viktor walked in with Neville and Luna. Neville froze upon spotting Hannah antagonizing Harry and tried to sneak away, only for Hannah to spot him.

"Neville, there you are," said Hannah. "I believe some butterbeer will help you out."

"No thank you," said Neville. "I don't want any butterbeer from you."

"Leave Neville alone," said Luna. "He and I are..."

"Beat it, Loony," growled Hannah. "Now, don't let me catch you hanging out with Neville."

"No," said Luna defiantly. "You can't tell..."

Angered by Luna's refusal, Hannah angrily grabbed her by the front of her shirt, dragged Luna toward her face, and gave her a threatening glare.

"I'm only gonna warn you once, Loony," snarled Hannah. "Now, get out of here this instant!"

"NO!" Luna screamed in Hannah's face.

This made Hannah jump a little, so she retaliated by smacking Luna in the face, as hard as possible, which left a red mark on her left cheek. Then Hannah picked Luna up and violently threw her into a table. Luna's back hit the end of the table, causing pain for her. Harry, Neville and Viktor couldn't believe what Hannah did.

"That'll teach you a lesson, Loony," mocked Hannah. "Now, stay away from Neville."

Hannah just started laughing and pointing at Luna, which angered Ginny to the point where she stepped up and gave an unsuspecting Hannah (who was still laughing and pointing at Luna) a swift kick in the butt, literally. This result in Hannah falling forward to the ground. She recovered, rubbed the part of her bum that got kicked, and glared at Ginny, who wasn't intimidated in the slightest.

"You'll pay for that, Weasley!" screamed Hannah, who charged at Ginny.

Unfortunately for Hannah, Ginny was too quick. She picked Hannah up, much to her shock. At that moment, Hermione (oblivious that the effects of Felix Felicis had worn off by now) and Pansy started making their way back to the tables. They attempted to come to Hannah's rescue. Ginny angrily threw Hannah toward Pansy and Hermione. This resulted in Hannah being hurled into Hermione and Pansy's chests, causing them to fall onto the floor on their backs, and causing Hannah to roll over on the floor several times upon landing. Hannah, Hermione and Pansy decided to exit through the back door and returning to the cave, knowing they've been defeated, so they gave up, for now.

Harry walked toward the back, where there were four doors, which were storage rooms. The first three he tried were unlocked. He tried the fourth door, which was locked, so Harry pointed his wand at the lock.

"Alohomora!" he said.

He heard a click, which told him that the door was unlocked. He opened it and saw Gabby, with her arms and legs tied together, and her mouth covered with duct tape. So Harry untied the ropes around Gabby's legs, then untied the ropes around her arms and torso, while Gabby pulled the duct tape away from her mouth.

"You alright, Gabby?" asked Harry with concern.

"I am now!" said Gabby as she hugged Harry, while sobbing.

"It's okay, Gabby," said Harry in a soothing voice, also hugging her. "I'm here!"

After a few minutes, Gabby calmed down, taking some deep breaths in an attempt to relax.

"So what was all the commotion?" she asked.

"Well," Harry started explaining. "Hannah tried to make Luna leave Neville alone. But Luna didn't even bother."

"I see," said Gabby. "I was able to hear some of it, and heard what sounded like something hitting a table."

"Yeah, Hannah threw Luna into a table," said Harry. "And Ginny got so mad that she gave Hannah a swift kick in the butt, literally."

"Wow, a great way to teach Hannah a lesson!" said Gabby, who couldn't help but laugh.

"She underestimated Ginny when she tried charging toward her," Harry continued. "So Ginny picked Hannah up and hurled Hannah into Hermione and Pansy!"

"Hopefully that'll teach her a lesson," said Gabby. "That Granger and Pansy will be sorry to tie me up like that, and tape my mouth shut."

"Yeah," said Harry. "You still want some butterbeer?"

"Sure!" said Gabby.

So Harry held his hand out, with Gabby grabbing it and Harry then pulling her up. They walked out back to the tables, where Neville was comforting Luna.

"Is Luna alright?" asked Harry and Gabby.

"Yeah," said Neville. "She does feel proud of herself, for standing up for me!"

"That's good," said Harry. "Gabby had been tied up and gagged in one of the storage closets, so I went and freed her."

"Great job Harry," said Neville. "You and Gabby sure do make a great couple."

This resulted in Harry and Gabby blushing.

"Thanks Neville!" They said in unison.

"Ginny literally giving Hannah a swift kick in the butt was hilarious!" said Neville, laughing.

"It was," said Ginny as she and Viktor approached them. "She needed that!"

"Agreed," said Luna. "If she tried that again, I'll make sure she learns the hard way!"

"The rest of that group of Ron's better stop while they are still ahead," said Viktor. "Before all them have to learn the hard way!"

(Meanwhile, in the cave)

Ron and the rest of his group were either continuing the brewing of the potions and setting up the room to keep prisoners in, intended for Harry and his real friends. Pansy, Hermione and Hannah came in.

"What happened?" asked Ron.

"We didn't get the chance to use the love potions," said Hannah. "All because of Potter, Loony and that Gabrielle having caused problems for us!"

"We'll need to wait until after the second task," said Ron "Before the next part of our plan starts. That way, everything will be cooled down!"

"Great idea, Ron," said Hermione. "Potter sure thinks that winning the battle is important!"

"It's winning the war that's important," said Draco. "He's blown all of his chances for redemption away."

"Yeah," agreed Lavender. "Potter may have won the battle, once again, but we _will not_ lose the war!"

"Exactly," said Ron ecstatically. "Failure is _not_ an option!"

"Hey Susan," said Hannah. "Do you have a pillow or something I can put on my chair?"

"What happened?" asked Susan.

"Ginevra gave me a swift kick in the butt, literally," said Hannah with anger in her voice. "Just for teaching Loony a lesson for taking Neville from me!"

"That does it," said Susan. "Nobody who kicks my best friend's butt gets away with it!"

So they all went back to brewing the potions. They knew (in their mind) that Potter had to go down, one way or the other. They'll make sure he knows that.

Meanwhile, Harry and Gabby were walking in the woods over by Hogsmeade. They purchased some of everything from Honeydukes after their butterbeer. Harry asked Dobby and Winky to keep an eye on their candy bags while he and Gabby went for a walk.

"Hey Harry!" called a voice.

Harry and Gabby turned around and saw Cedric and Cho jogging up to them.

"Hey Cedric, hey Cho!" Harry and Gabby greeted in unison.

"Are you alright?" asked Cedric. "I heard what had happened at the Three Broomsticks."

"Yeah, we're alright!" said Harry.

"Listen Harry," said Cedric. "I never did repay the favour for informing me about the dragons!"

"Well," said Harry. "I thought it would be fair if all the champions knew!"

"That's a good point," agreed Cedric. "You know how the egg wails when opened?"

"Yeah, and that made it difficult to figure out the clue!" said Harry.

"If you get the chance," said Cedric. "Take a bath with it. The fifth floor is where the prefect's bathroom is located. The password is pinefresh!"

"Thanks, Cedric." said Harry.

"Anytime." said Cedric.

So he and Cho walked away to continue with their Valentine's date. Harry and Gabby continued their walk in the woods.

"Maybe we can go to the prefect's bathroom later this evening." suggested Harry.

"Great idea," said Gabby. "That way we won't have to worry about anybody bothering us. But, how will we be able to make it there without getting caught wandering the grounds after hours?"

"I have an idea to solve that," said Harry as he called. "Dobby! Winky!"

"Did Harry Potter call for us?" they asked in unison as soon as they appeared.

"Yes," said Harry. "If possible, could one of you help escort Gabby to the prefect's bathroom later this evening?"

"Winky can help with that." said Winky.

"And Dobby can wait for Harry Potter to signal that he's ready." said Dobby.

"That's a remarkable plan," said Harry. "Once I'm ready, I'll call Dobby and Winky, and ask Winky to get Gabby and bring her to the prefect's bathroom."

"Dobby and Winky will be ready by then," said Dobby and Winky in unison. "We better get back to the kitchens!"

With a snap of their fingers, they vanished. Harry and Gabby continued walking in the woods close to Hogsmeade.

"We probably should wear our swimsuits," suggested Harry. "That way, it won't be awkward!"

"Okay," said Gabrielle. "We do need to figure out the clue, so you can be prepared for the second task."

So they continued walking, trying to enjoy nature before it got dark.

(Later that evening)

Harry made it to the prefects bathroom. He gave the password to the statue of Boris The Bewildered, which opened to reveal the door to the prefects bathroom to it's left. Then Harry changed into his swimming trunks and turned on the faucets that started filling the tub (which resembled a swimming pool). Once he was ready, Harry called for Dobby and Winky and asked Winky to bring Gabby to the prefects bathroom. Winky vanished to the Beauxbatons carriage, and then reappeared with Gabby. Then the house elves vanished back to the kitchens until they were needed again. Gabby went to change into her bikini and got into the pool-like tub. Then Harry picked up the golden egg, which wasn't easy due to his hands being covered with the bathwater.

"I don't see how taking a bath with the egg reveals the clue," said Harry while inspecting it. "All it does is wail!"

"That doesn't seem to be helpful." said Gabby.

Harry unwittingly put the egg into the water, accidentally opening it. This surprised the teens, especially that they didn't hear anymore wailing. So they lowered their heads into the water, hoping that this would give the clue. As soon as they were underwater, they heard something different, a voice started singing:

 _Come seek us where our voices sound,_

 _We cannot sing above the ground,_

 _And while you're searching ponder this,_

 _We've taken what you'll sorely miss,_

 _An hour long you'll have to look,_

 _To recover what we took,_

 _But past an hour, the prospect's black,_

 _Too late, it's gone, it won't come back._

They listened to it for a few more times, to ensure that they had it memorized. Then they raised their heads above the surface for some air. Then Harry realized what the voice was.

"The Black Lake, it must have merpeople in it," he deduced. "The only creature in the lake I've seen is that giant squid."

"That does make sense," said Gabby. "What's the thing that the champions will sorely miss?"

"I don't know," said Harry. "For all we know, it could be anything."

"I wonder if the judges might give us hints on what it could be." said Gabby.

"It's possible," said Harry. "Although, it's unlikely. I don't trust Dumbledore anymore, so asking him is out of the question."

"We could look around the library at the first chance!" suggested Gabby.

"Yeah, we can do that," agreed Harry. "While we're still here, why don't we swim around for a little while?"

"Okay!" said Gabby.

So the two teens started swimming around in the pool-like tub, with some occasional playful splashes of water at each other. They continued doing so for another fifteen to twenty minutes (which seemed like hours to them). Then Harry drained the water while Gabby climbed out to dry off and change back into her casual wear. Harry climbed out once all of the water was drained, and went to change back into his casual wear also.

"I enjoyed the splashing around and swimming with you, Harry!" said Gabby as she gave Harry a great, big hug, with Harry giving her one as well.

"So did I," said Harry, smiling. ""We ought to do this again sometime!"

"I'd like that, Harry!" said Gabby.

So she smiled and gave Harry a gentle kiss on his cheek, then called for Winky to take her back to the Beauxbatons carriage. Even though it was dark (but not pitch-black), Harry was pretty sure that he was blushing. Once he snapped back into reality, he got out the Marauders Map, recited the necessary phrase and checked to see if there was anybody close to the prefects bathroom. Luckily there wasn't, so Harry put the invisibility cloak over himself and started walking back to the unused classroom he'd been using since being kicked out of Gryffindor Tower, using the map to make he didn't come across any teachers, nor Argus Filch, the caretaker, or even his cat Mrs. Norris. Once he made it, he recited the phrase the wipe the map clean, so nobody else could read it. Then he took off his glasses and climbed into bed. It took some time for him to fall asleep, as he kept blushing, due to the nice kiss he got from Gabby. Eventually, he did fall asleep.

 _To be continued!_


	20. Chapter 20

_Disclaimer: As usual, J.K. Rowling owns the series. The fanfic is all I own. No copyright intended!_

Ch. 20

The Second Task

The day of the second task arrived. Harry and Gabby tried finding out what the one thing one would sorely miss was supposed to be, but they never could find a book in the library that had the necessary information. But they did manage to find a way of being able to breathe underwater for an hour. Harry settled with using gillyweed, and purchased some by owl order service. Harry was confident, since he practiced swimming and using some of the gillyweed. After breakfast was over, Harry started walking toward the Black Lake with Fred, George, Lee, Neville, Luna and Dean.

"I wonder why Ginny didn't arrive for breakfast!" said Fred with worry.

"Me, too!" said George.

"She might've overslept." guessed Harry.

"Maybe," said Lee. "But I never saw her walk down into the common room."

Soon, they reached a dock with boats. Harry saw spectator stands in the middle of the Black Lake, explaining why they had to take boats to reach them. Fleur and Kassandra caught up, with worried looks on their faces.

"Where did Gabby go?" wondered Fleur. "She wasn't in the carriage when I woke up!"

"Kassidy wasn't there, either!" said Kassandra.

All this was making Harry suspicious. He started coming to the conclusion that perhaps Gabby, Kassidy and Ginny were somehow involved in the second task. Harry also guessed that Cho must be involved as well. Soon, the stands were full. Once the champions were in their swim suits, the judges began making the announcement.

"Welcome to the second task," said Ludo Bagman as soon as he cast the _Sonorus_ charm and spoke into the tip of his wand. "Now, for this task, the champions have to swim down to recover what they'll sorely miss. They have an hour, and an hour only. After that, they're on their own. Now, on my whistle. Three... two... one!"

Ludo blew into his whistle. Harry stuffed the gillyweed into his mouth and then jumped into the lake. Cedric and Fleur used the bubble head charm while Viktor opted to use partial transfiguration, to partly transform into a shark. Once the gillyweed took full effect, which allowed Harry to develop gills, webbed feet and webbed hands, Harry dived underwater to find the one thing the champions would sorely miss.

Harry swam around for about half an hour, searching the depths of the Black Lake. Then he found where the one thing the champions would sorely miss. The "item" that the champions would sorely miss turned out to be somebody close to them. Harry saw that the hostages were Cho, Ginny, Gabby and Kassidy. They were placed in an enchanted sleep and tied to a merperson statue. There were a countless number of merpeople, keeping an eye on what was going on. Harry decided to wait a little bit, just in case if the other champions didn't make it.

A little while later, Cedric finally made it and untied Cho from her bonds. Then he turned to Harry and pointed to his watch to let Harry know that he'd better hurry. Harry nodded to show that he understood, and Cedric started swimming to the surface. A couple minutes later, Viktor arrived and freed Ginny from the bonds and started swimming toward the surface. There wasn't any sign of Fleur arriving and, concerned for Kassidy's safety, Harry also cut her bonds after cutting Gabby's bonds. Then Harry started swimming toward the surface, only to be attacked by the merpeople for freeing the other hostage. So Harry let Gabby and Kassidy go, so they could float to the surface.

Harry noticed that more and more merpeople were swimming toward him, angry that he had freed two hostages. After some difficulty, Harry managed to blast the merpeople, forcing them to surrender and retreat, but all that exhausted Harry, as he was having trouble trying to make to the surface before the effects of the gillyweed wore off. Meanwhile, Gabby and Kassidy made it to the surface just as the one hour mark was hit. They started swimming toward the stands, where a worried Fleur was now relieved. She and Kassandra went to help Gabby and Kassidy out of the water. They were now worried why Harry didn't come up to the surface. Meanwhile, Harry continued trying to swim up to the surface, with little success, due to exhaustion. As the effects of the gillyweed started wearing off, Harry pointed his wand upward and cast a spell that allowed him to return him to the surface.

Harry just managed to make it back to the stands, where Fred, George, Lee and Neville came to get him out of the water, wrap him in towels and into the mediwitches tent, where Madam Pomfrey gave Harry some pepperup potion, as she did with the other champions and their hostages.

"Honestly, Mr. Potter," wondered Madam Pomfrey in a joking manner. "Is there ever going to be a school year where you don't come to the hospital wing or have me treat your injuries?"

"That I don't know!" said Harry, playing along with it.

While Harry continued to get treated, Professor McGonagall came in to check on him. While she had been worried, she was also relieved that Harry made it, showing a rare smile as proof.

"You know, none of the hostages were in real danger, Mr. Potter!" she informed him.

"I didn't know that, professor," Harry admitted. "Just that 'saving people' thing I have!"

"I understand that, Mr. Potter!" said Professor McGonagall.

After Harry had finished with taking his pepperup potions, he walked back to the stands to await his scores for the second task. Fleur, Gabby, Kassidy and Kassandra just gave Harry a hug, relieved that Harry made sure all the hostages were rescued. They even kissed Harry on each cheek in gratitude, making Harry blush.

"Well, time for the scores," Professor Dumbledore announced. "Mr. Potter had been the first to reach the hostages, but he arrived outside the time limit. But, seeing that he was more concerned about saving the hostages, it has been decided that Mr. Potter will get points anyway, for moral fibre!"

Harry was surprised by that. He didn't think he would get much because of having arrived back outside the time limit. The crowd even approved of that decision.

"Mr. Potter has been awarded 47 points for his moral fibre," Professor Dumbledore went on. "And for his use of gillyweed! Mr. Diggory has been awarded 40 points for his use of the bubble head charm! Mr. Krum has been awarded 35 points for excellent use of partial transfiguration! And because Miss Delacour had to retire due to getting attacked by the grindylows, so she has been awarded 25 points!"

"Mr. Potter remains in first place with a total of 92 points," stated Ludo Bagman. "Mr. Diggory and Mr. Krum are tied in second with a total of 75 points, and Miss Delacour in last with a total of 55 points!"

Soon, everybody made it back to the shore of the Black Lake. Harry was stopped by Bill Weasley on his way back to the castle for lunch.

"That was incredible, Harry," said Bill. "If only Ron would just realized the real you."

"Yeah," said Harry. "He and his group of miscreants continue to hide, just to avoid expulsion."

"Mum isn't too happy with him," said Bill. "Neither is dad. We did find out about how Ron and his group of ruffians attempting to use love and manipulation potions."

"They did," stated Harry. "Aside from Hermione, Susan Bones even joined the group, among others."

"Oh my," said Bill with wide eyes, finding that hard to believe. "That's trouble. Susan's aunt Amelia is the head of the DMLE. When and if she finds out about that, she's gonna be furious with her niece!"

"That is trouble," agreed Harry. "I don't think Ameilia will let Susan off too easy."

"Yeah," said Bill as he reached into his pocket and handed a Gringotts notification letter to Harry. "Here, this is from Gringotts, Griphook and Ragnok asked me to deliver it personally. I'd better get back. Anyway, great job, once again, Harry!"

"Thanks Bill," said Harry as he took the letter and stuffed it into his pocket. "Take care!"

"You, too, Harry!" said Bill as he walked away to head back to Gringotts.

Harry continued walking back to the castle to head for the Great Hall for lunch. Harry also started wondering why he was getting a notification from Gringotts. He decided to wait until he was back in his unused classroom to read it, believing it to be very important. As soon as he reached the entrance doors, Harry saw that Professor Dumbledore was waiting... for him, it appeared to be.

"Harry, my boy," said Professor Dumbledore. "How come it took you a few minutes to get back here?"

"I was just talking to Bill." said Harry.

"I'm afraid I'm gonna have to confiscate that letter from Gringotts." Dumbledore insisted.

"What?" said Harry suspiciously. "Why?!"

"It's for the greater good Harry," said Dumbledore. "Now, if you'll kindly hand it over..."

"But, it..." Harry began to say.

"Accio Gringotts notification letter!" said Dumbledore as he pointed his wand at Harry.

The letter flew out of Harry's pants pocket and into Professor Dumbledore's hand, much to Harry's shock.

'What is up with Professor Dumbledore,' Harry wondered. 'Why is he so insistent on getting my letter from Gringotts?'

"This is for the greater good, Harry." said Dumbledore as he walked away, with Harry's Gringotts letter in his hand.

What Professor Dumbledore didn't know was that he increased Harry's suspicions. Harry could tell that Dumbledore was hiding something important, but he still didn't know what. Harry decided to wait until later to worry about it, he still needed to get some lunch, so he continued walking to the Great Hall.

(Meanwhile, at the Burrow, later that evening)

Molly was reading a letter from Fred and George, explaining the circumstances with the second task, and that Harry was still in first place. She was proud of Harry for focusing more on looking out for one another than on winning. However, she was beyond furious that Ron continued to skip classes and remain hidden to avoid expulsion. Even Arthur was mad, finding that a huge embarrassment, especially for someone who worked at the Ministry of Magic.

"Well, Harry did reveal something after the second task." Bill informed his parents.

"What did he reveal?" asked Arthur and Molly in unison.

"That Amelia's niece, Susan has joined Ron's group of Harry tormentor's." stated Bill.

"That's gonna be embarrassing for Amelia," said Arthur. "She just thought Susan wasn't that mad. She told me that she never thought Susan would do something like this."

"Yeah, Amelia is gonna be even more shocked when she finds out what else Susan has been doing." said Bill.

"Pretty much," said Molly. "She even told me about how Susan is supposed to be friendly with Harry. The Bones alliance with the Potters has lasted for about 300 years."

The three Weasleys shuddered to think what Amelia's reaction would be if Harry decided to end the alliance with House Bones because of Susan's actions. They knew it was going to be a bad one.

(Meanwhile, in the Gryffindor Common Room)

Angelina, Alicia and Katie were sitting in front of the fireplace. They were getting a different number of thoughts. They saw that Harry had made sure all the hostages were safe. They weren't sure what to think, there was alot going on in their minds.

"I wonder if Potter really was concerned about saving the hostages more." said Alicia.

"It's hard to tell," Angelina assumed. "Then again, he could've just done that for more attention, and likely to make sure he stays in first place."

"Yeah," said Katie. "He did, after all, get the most points after the first task."

"Of course," said Angelina and Alicia in unison. "Why are we worried about all this?"

"For sure," said Katie. "Potter likely seems to enjoy letting his ego get to him."

Then, an audible "ahem" was heard behind them. This made the three Gryffindor chasers jump and turn around. They saw Fred, George, Lee, Ginny, Neville and Dean behind them. They weren't pleased at what they heard. Fred, George and Lee especially looked at the Gryffindor chasers sternly, and with their arms crossed.

"Do you care to explain what you were discussing?" said Lee.

"No, not really." said Alicia.

"Well, you don't have a choice," said Fred (or was it George). "We've had it with your _stupid_ complaints about how you think Harry cheated his way into the tournament!"

"So, apparently, the second task didn't wake any of you up?" asked George (or Fred). "We don't wanna hear about Ickle Ronnykins voicing his opinions as an excuse. You all have a brain. You should've listened to Harry's side of the story."

"But..." said Angelina.

"But, nothing," said Ginny. "If I were you, I'd apologize to Harry, and reinstate him as seeker for the house team!"

"Yeah," said Neville. "I can't believe you three for turning your backs on Harry. You certainly have an awful way of repaying him."

So Fred, George, Ginny, Lee, Neville and Dean walked to their respective dormitories, but not before shooting the three Gryffindor chasers a glare. Angelina, Alicia and Katie were now terrified, as it didn't seem likely that Harry was ever gonna rejoin. They could only hope that Professor McGonagall wouldn't find out that they unjustly kicked Harry off the Gryffindor Quidditch team. They also hoped Oliver Wood wouldn't find out, either.

(Meanwhile, in the cave near the path to Hogsmeade)

Ron and Draco came back into the cave, with a 'beetle' in Ron's hands. The rest of the group were continuing to brew up the potions, and setting up the prisoners' room.

"Well, Draco and I have found this 'beetle' on a tree!" said Ron ecstatically.

Hermione walked up and took a close look at the 'beetle.' She saw that the 'beetle' had the distinguishing figure of wearing glasses. Then, the beetle transformed into the notorious reporter, Rita Skeeter.

"I was informed by Mr. Weasley that you all had something you'd want me to write about and print." she said.

"Of course," said Hermione. "We need to make sure Potter's reputation is destroyed!"

"Here's fifteen thousand galleons!" said Draco as he handed a bottomless bag to Rita.

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy," said Rita as she got her quick-quotes quill and notepad out. "What shall I write about Mr. Potter?"

Ron, Draco and Hermione went first. They continued dissing Harry by labeling him a giant show-off who just earned the most points to seek for more money and fame. Then they said that he was always known to cheat his way in as well, all due to concerns of his status as a celebrity. Pansy went next and 'explained' to Rita that she and Harry were betrothed, and that they were destined to be together. She also said that Gabrielle Delacour was out to ruin that and could easily talk Harry into staying away from her. Susan and Hannah even told Rita how Neville and Hannah were betrothed as well, and denouncing Luna as Loony, and that she could be out to brainwash Neville. Megan even told Rita about Harry stealing Cedric's and Hufflepuff's chances in the spotlight. After Rita got the 'necessary' information, she left, fairly happy with the 'stories' she was told. Now she had to get it printed in the Daily Prophet as soon as possible, thus making her all ecstatic to do so.

 _To be continued!_


	21. Chapter 21

_Discalimer: As usual, no copyright intended! J.K. Rowling owns the Harry Potter universe. I just own this fanfic and my OC's!_

 **Author's note 1: Rating has been changed to an M for later chapters, so reader's discretion is, once again advised.**

Ch. 21

Shocking Revelations

Harry walked into the Great Hall for breakfast the next morning. As usual, he was joined by Fred, George, Ginny, Lee, Neville and Dean. Luna decided to join them, so she could be with Neville. Then a number of owls began delivering the Daily Prophet to their owners, Hedwig included, who dropped it in front of Harry. Harry picked it up and began reading the headline.

"What the...?" said Harry, outraged.

The article read:

 **Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived, To Be Married**

 **by Rita Skeeter**

 _This reporter has learned that the saviour of the wizarding world, Harry Potter, is due to get married to fellow fourth year Hogwarts student, Pansy Parkinson. She has stated that even though Harry has been denying those, she is certain that Harry knows that they have a bright future ahead. Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger even clarified that Harry is happy with that decision. Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott have stated that this is the only way to punish Harry for his actions that happened on Halloween. Hannah even stated that she and Neville Longbottom were supposed to be together, and that Luna Lovegood, daughter of Xenophilius Lovegood, is out to corrupt Mr. Longbottom. Hermione Granger even clarified that the Durmstrang champion, Viktor Krum is in love with her._

 _When asked why Harry is being punished by marrying Pansy Parkinson, Susan Bones, Hannah Abbott and Megan Jones mentioned that attention seekers like Harry deserve it, so as to teach Harry a lesson for using his celebrity status to meet his own selfish needs. The three Hufflepuffs also stated that Harry even corrupted Cedric Diggory, the true Hogwarts champion, even though he has denied those rumours. Susan even said that Harry enjoys corrupting anybody to force them to take pity on him._

 _Ronald Weasley and Draco Malfoy have told the Daily Prophet that Harry has been giving Miss Gabrielle Delacour love potions, just so he could avoid marrying Pansy. There have also been unconfirmed rumours that Harry has also corrupted Gabrielle's sister Fleur, the Beauxbatons champion. Both have denied comment, claiming they didn't have any. Ronald Weasley has even stated that his sister, Ginevra has been fraternizing with the Durmstrang champion, Viktor Krum. (continued on page 6)_

To say Harry was mad would be an understatement. He was beyond furious that that Skeeter bitch printed, yet another false article about him. Professor Dumbledore acted surprised, as he knew that, as long as Harry didn't go to Gringotts, his plan for the Greater Good was bound to work. Professor McGonagall wasn't pleased to read the article, knowing it was all lies. Professor Snape was both angry and surprised, but mostly angry when he read the article.

"So that's why Miss Parkinson sat by Mr. Potter in potions from the first task until the Yule Ball," Snape deduced. "She just wants to marry him for his fame, wealth and... to punish him?!"

"This also means that Mr. Weasley and his group of Harry-hating students aren't too far from the castle!" guessed Professor McGonagall. "They're pretty much going to be expelled once they've been caught!"

"Amelia is going to be even more enraged when she reads this," said Professor Sprout, who was shuddering, knowing that Amelia's temper isn't what anybody would want to see, especially at the receiving end. "Susan is already in hot water, and she'll be facing her aunt's wrath once she gets caught!"

Harry was shaking with rage. He knew that something needed to be done about this. Fred, George and Ginny got up to head back to Gryffindor Tower, so they could write to their mother about Rita's most recent article. Gabby received some nasty glares from the other Beauxbatons students, forcing her to leave. Fleur, Kassidy and Kassandra also got up and followed Gabby. Neville also started walking back to Gryffindor Tower, knowing his grandmother needed to be informed as well. Daphne, Astoria and Tracey were also mad, knowing Pansy's 'real' intentions.

"Parkinson just sunk to an all-time low," said Daphne. "Helping to ruin Harry's reputation."

"I'd like to show that swamp donkey a few things," said Astoria. "I'd also being willing to do the same thing to Malfoy!"

"Weasley and his group of Harry-Haters continue to act like cowards." said Tracey.

Meanwhile, a certain black dog was making his way into an abandoned shack ten miles from Hogwarts, carrying a copy of The Daily Prophet in his mouth. This black dog transformed into Sirius Black. He found a copy that some other wizard tossed. Sirius read the headline, with his eyes widening in disbelief at what it said.

"What the hell," said Sirius, outraged. "How could Ron and Hermione do this to Harry?"

Sirius became more and more furious, especially when he read that Harry was supposedly due to marry Pansy Parkinson. Sirius also saw that Amelia's niece, Susan even fed Rita some lies about Harry. That was going to cause even more chaos, since he knew the Bones and Potter families have been allies for the last three centuries. Sirius also shuddered to imagine how embarrassed Amelia was bound to be once she found out.

Meanwhile, back at Hogwarts, Harry was sitting by his favourite spot by the Black Lake. He was thinking long and hard about what to do to bring Ron and his group of Harry-Haters (as well as Rita Skeeter) to justice. Gabby and Fleur came walking by and gave Harry a hug. This helped Harry calm down.

"Thank you," he said gratefully. "I needed that!"

"You're welcome, Harry." said Fleur and Gabby in unison.

"I'm just thinking on what all needs to be done to get back at all the bad guys and bring them to justice." said Harry.

"Maybe we ought to get some parchment, ink and quills to write them down." suggested Gabby.

"Great idea, Gabby!" said Fleur, intrigued by the idea.

So Gabby got up and called for Winky, who apparated her to her and Fleur's room in the Beauxbatons carriage. Fleur took that opportunity to tell Harry something.

"Today is Gabby's fourteenth birthday!" she informed.

"Really?" said Harry, surprised. "I'll need to wish her a happy birthday when she gets back!"

Half a minute later, Winky returned with Gabby, who had managed to get some parchment, along with some quills and a few bottles of ink.

"Happy Birthday, Gabby!" said Harry.

"Oh, thank you, Harry!" said Gabby as she gave Harry a great big hug, followed by a kiss on his cheek, making Harry blush.

So Harry, Fleur and Gabby spent some time writing down some ideas on how to get back at Harry's tormentors. Once they finished, Fleur cast the gemino charm, so she could make some copies, then she went to find Kassidy and Kassandra to hand some copies to them. Then Fleur instructed them to hand copies to Harry's real friends. Once that was finished, Fleur returned to where Harry's favourite spot by the Black Lake was.

"Well, now I ought to go to Gringotts," said Harry. "To take care of business. If you two want to tag along, you can!"

"Okay!" said Fleur and Gabby in unison.

"Dobby! Winky!" Harry called.

"Does Harry Potter need something done?" they asked simultaneously.

"Could you apparate us to Gringotts," said Harry. "Dobby can apparate me, while Winky can apparate Gabby and Fleur, if that's okay!"

"Of course, Harry Potter sir." said Dobby and Winky in unison.

So they apparated to the entrance to Gringotts at Diagon Alley. Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout and Snape were watching that happen, with grins on their faces.

"Good luck, Mr. Potter!" They said in unison.

So they went to patrol the castle and ground withe other teachers and staff, trying to find any leads on where Ron and his group of Harry-Haters were hiding.

Harry, Fleur, Gabby, Dobby and Winky apparated to the front door of Gringotts and walked in, where they were greeted by Bill Weasley.

"Ah, there you are, Harry," said Bill. "We're glad you made it!"

"Same here," said Harry. "I didn't get to actually read that notification letter, because Professor Dumbledore confiscated it, claiming it was for his so-called Greater Good!"

"Ragnok won't be too happy about that," said Bill, showing Harry and company to Ragnok's office. "Good luck, Harry!"

"Thanks, Bill," said Harry. "Sorry about the inconvenience!"

"Don't worry," assured Bill. "It wasn't your fault!"

Harry and Gabby walked towards Ragnok's office. Fleur and Bill started looking each other in the eye. All of a sudden, they began laughing in a flirtatious manner. Bill introduced himself, as did Fleur.

"I... I w-was j-j-just starting my... my lunch break," said Bill nervously. "W-w-would you... like to... um..."

"O-on a d-date?" asked Fleur.

"Y-yes," said Bill. "W-would y-you like t-to g-go on a d-date?"

"I w-would l-love to!" said Fleur.

Meanwhile, Harry and Gabby walked into Ragnok's office.

"Ah, Mr. Potter," said Ragnok. "We've been expecting you. Did you ever read the notification letters?"

"I never got to," Harry sheepishly admitted. "I would have, if I had gotten any of the other ones. Shortly after Bill handed me the most recent copy, Professor Dumbledore confiscated that, claiming it was for The Greater Good."

Ragnok was furious, he couldn't believe what he had been told. How dare Albus Dumbledore keep all of Harry's mail.

"I KNEW IT!" yelled Ragnok as he pounded the desk with his fist. "Albus, is in... so... much... trouble!"

"Now I know why Albus wanted to keep me under his thumb," Harry realized. "He's never been the grandfather figure he claimed to be."

"He's also been keeping your inheritance from you," stated Ragnok. "We've been sending you notifications since your eleventh birthday."

"That two-timing old coot," growled Harry. "I can't... believe this!"

"He's going to be thrown in for a loop," said Ragnok as he handed a silver dagger to Harry. "You'll need to slice your palm with this, and allow seven drops of blood to drip into this goblet!"

"Okay," said Harry. "Would you call me Harry?"

"Of course," said Ragnok. "As long you call me Ragnok."

So Harry sliced his palm and allowed seven drops of his blood to drip into a silver goblet. As soon as that was done, Ragnok took the goblet and poured it onto a piece of parchment, which allowed the wax seal to melt away. Then Ragnok handed it to Harry, who started reading it, which said:

 _The last will and testament of Lily and James Potter,_

 _We leave our family vault to our son, Harry James Potter. It contains 300 million galleons, the family ring which will let everyone know who the head of the most ancient and most noble house of Potter is. The vault also contains some heirlooms, like a necklace that will act as a portkey and take whoever is wearing it to Potter Manor. We also owned a portion of The Daily Prophet, so Harry will be able to take ownership of those the head of the most ancient and most noble house of Potter will grant Harry an exemption from the restriction of underage magic._

 _I, Lily J. Potter (nee Evans), have placed some candidates to be Harry's guardians that follow in this order:_

 _1\. Sirius Orion Black (James' best friend and Harry's godfather)._

 _2\. Frank and Alice Longbottom (friends of the family and Harry's godmother)._

 _3\. Minerva McGonagall (James' godmother)._

 _4\. Arthur and Molly Weasley (friends of the family)._

 _5\. Amelia Bones (friend of the family)._

 _Under NO, and we mean NO circumstances is Harry to be placed with Vernon and Petunia Dursley (nee Evans). They hate magic, and they refer to magic as 'funny business,' and they also label our kind as 'freaks.'_

 _Contrary to what the wizarding world may believe, Sirius Black would never betray us. The one who did that was Peter Pettigrew, he was the secret keeper._

 _If Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore see's this, be warned that he isn't trustworthy. He's a master manipulator, and he is bound to seal this will and ignore our wishes, and then he'll put Harry into the care of the magic-despising Dursleys. He's also known to blackmail anybody who he see's as a threat to his plans._

 _Signed,_

 _Lily and James Potter_

 _October 10, 1981_

 _Witnesses signed,_

 _Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore_

Once Harry finished reading the will, he was furious that Professor Dumbledore went to great lengths to keep Harry under his control. Gabby held one of his hands in a comforting manner to help him relax. Ragnok also got out some other documents' and handed them to Harry.

"Harry," said Ragnok. "These papers here are supposedly marriage contracts. I'd like you to look them over, to see if they're also counterfeit."

Harry and Gabby looked over one, and Harry's eyes widened in disbelief when he looked over the first one. It showed that he was apparently under marriage to Pansy. He was outraged further when he saw all the other signatures of Ron and his group of Harry-Haters. Ron and Hermione having also signed on what was supposedly master or mistress lines, Harry also saw Susan's name on them. This also told Harry that Ron and his group of Harry-Haters intended to enslave him for eternity. Harry looked over another one and saw that that one had one where Ginny was also going to be enslaved as well. Harry's 'name' was also signed to make look like he has given permission. Harry's so-called marriage contract also 'gave' permission for his tormentors to take his family heirlooms. Even Gabby was mad at what the documents were. The last two contracts showed that Harry apparently allowed Gabby and Fleur respectively to be, to Harry's and Gabby's horror, sex slaves.

"How could they do this?" wondered Gabby. "And make it look like you have given permission?"

"Those guys are in too deep as it is." said Harry.

"And for Fleur to go through that, too?" said Gabby. "We need to bring those people to justice!"

"We also did a blood test on your supposed signature, Harry," informed Ragnok. "And it turns out that Miss Pansy Parkinson was the one who forged your signature."

"So she was the one who came up with that idea," said an outraged Harry. "But how did these fake documents end up in my family vault?"

Harry's answer came as soon as a knock on the door was heard. Ragnok told whoever it was to come in, and Griphook walked in with another goblin, who was terrified at what all was going on.

"Well, Ragnok," said Griphook. "Sharpclaw here has been found having assisted with those fake documents and putting them into the Potter vault."

"Why did you do so?" asked Ragnok. "We call that treason within the goblins of Gringotts!"

"Well, Mr. Lucius Malfoy and Miss Dolores Umbridge told me that Mr. Potter didn't want to find out about his inheritance." said Sharpclaw, terrified.

"That was all a lie," said Ragnok. "Wait... did you say that those fake documents were delivered here by Lucius Malfoy and Dolores Umbridge?"

"Y-yes," said Sharpclaw. "Sometime around Christmas was when they were delivered here!"

Ragnok did some fingerprint scanning on the fake documents and it, indeed, showed the fingerprints of Lucius Malfoy and Dolores Umbridge, along with the fingerprints of Ron and all of his group of Harry-Haters. Then he used some sort of magic to make sure those fingerprints stayed on there, that way the ones involved would be able to be brought to justice easier.

"Sharpclaw," said Ragnok. "I'm very disappointed in you for assisting those people. You are to spend two weeks in a Gringotts holding cell, is that clear?"

"Yes," said Sharpclaw. "I can't believe I was coaxed into it. I accept my punishment."

So two bigger goblins, who appeared to be guards, came in and took Sharpclaw away to a holding cell, where he was to serve his punishment.

"Here's another piece of parchment, Harry," said Ragnok. "Which also seems to be Albus' doing more than likely?"

Harry took and read it, which read:

 _With permission from Harry Potter by his magical guardian, the money here is taken from the Potter vault and placed with these wizards as part of The Greater Good._

 _To Albus Dumbledore: 150,000 galleons for making sure Harry remains as ignorant as possible._

 _To Cornelius Fudge: 100,000 galleons for making sure Harry stayed in first place for the tournament._

 _To Ludo Bagman: 125,000 galleons to make sure Harry stayed in first place in the Triwizard Tournament, plus additional pay to be debt free._

 _To Mundungus Fletcher: 100,000 galleons for spying on Harry and reporting information back to Albus about what Harry could be doing._

 _To Barty Crouch Sr: 75,000 galleons for making sure Harry has to compete, regardless of the rules, and also making sure Harry stays in first place._

 _To Barty Crouch Jr: 125,000 galleons for making sure Harry comes up with strategies, as well as keeping him from finding out about the tasks itself, and brewing up polyjuice potions and impersonating Alastor Moody, and to make sure Harry touches the Triwizard cup first, so he can fulfill his destiny._

Once Harry finished reading, he was even more furious. He now realized what Dumbledore's plan was all along. Dumbledore had been intending to use him as a weapon, and bribing other wizards to help him out with his plan.

"Ragnok, I'd like all the money stolen from my vault to be returned," said Harry. "And could you make some copies?"

"Of course, Harry," said Ragnok.

"Maybe some of the copies should be sent to the French Ministry of Magic," suggested Gabby. "My dad works there."

"We'll get that done, too, Miss Delacour." assured Ragnok.

Then, Harry was escorted into another room in Gringotts, so he can get the magical blocks removed. The goblins in charge also found a soul fragment where his scar was, which they were also able to remove successfully.

An hour later, Harry woke up, feeling even more powerful than before. His occlumency was even stronger, allowing him to keep the shields up effortlessly. The magical blocks removals also allowed Harry to grow taller, to a height of 6'3" and this also allowed him to bulk up in muscle. Before meeting up with Gabby, Harry was stopped by Ragnok, who handed Harry his family ring. Harry put it on, and it glowed, accepting him as the head of the most ancient and most noble house of Potter.

"Harry," said Ragnok. "We also found out about how you were forced to compete in the Triwizard Tournament."

"Yeah," said Harry. "I was told I had no choice to compete as a champion, even though I never entered willingly."

"And that's where some good news comes into effect," explained Ragnok. "It also allowed you to become emancipated. Also, the magical binding contract also won't work for those who never entered his or her name willingly."

"Wow," said Harry with relief in his voice. "This also proves that this was all a scheme to use me as some sort of weapon."

"It sure looks like it," said Ragnok. "You can also tell Albus Dumbledork that you withdraw, and whoever submitted your name will be thrown in for a nasty loop!"

"Wow, thanks for all the information, Ragnok," said Harry. "I'll make sure Dumbledork knows what will come to him!"

So Harry left and walked back into the lobby, where Gabby was waiting for him. She was surprised to see Harry more powerful than ever. By the time the two teens left Gringotts, it was already around lunch time. They met up with Fleur and Bill, who had finished their first date.

"Wow, Harry," said Bill. "You're already taller than Ron. How did your business at Gringotts go?"

"Good," said Harry. "Professor Dumbledore will be thrown in for a loop. He's been keeping my inheritance from me, stealing from my family vault to pay several others for me being forced to compete in the tournament."

"That's bad news," said Bill. "When and if he ever gets arrested, one of the crimes Dumbledore will be charged with is Line Theft."

"And look at these contracts," said Harry, handing Bill and Fleur a copy of each 'marriage contract.' "They're supposedly marriage contracts."

"Ron is involved with the counterfeit contracts," said Bill, outraged. "In that case, it's called Attempted Line Theft. Mum and dad didn't raise Ron this way."

"How could they do this," asked Fleur. "To make it look like Harry has given 'permission' for me and Gabby to be sex slaves?! Mum and dad will need to be informed of this!"

"Don't worry, Fleur," assured Gabby. "Ragnok has already taken care of that!"

"Okay," said Fleur with relief in her voice. "This is just terrible."

"After lunch, Gabby and I will go to the Ministry of Magic," said Harry. "So Madam Bones will get a copy of each counterfeit contract."

"Susan is pretty much history," said Bill. "I'm pretty certain Amelia taught her better than that."

"As long as Susan is still the scion of House Bones," stated Harry. "Then I'm going to end my alliance. Susan doesn't deserve any help from me anymore."

So Harry, Gabby and Fleur said goodbye to Bill, who headed back to Gringotts to continue his shift. Harry found a restaurant in Muggle London, so they went in for some lunch. Fleur told Harry and Gabby about the date with Bill. When Fleur left to go use the restroom, Harry took a chance to ask Gabrielle something.

"Would Miss Gabrielle Delacour like honour of being my girlfriend?" asked Harry.

"Yes, Harry," said Gabby, with her eyes widening in surprise. "I certainly would like that honour!"

So Harry and Gabby started holding hands. When Fleur made it back to the table, she saw Harry holding hands with her sister. Fleur immediately knew what had happened.

"Congratulations, Harry and Gabby," said Fleur with approval. "I was wondering when this moment was going to happen!"

"Well, I thought today would've been the right time," said Harry. "I wanted to give Gabby one of the best presents ever!"

"You and Gabby sure do make a great couple, Harry!" said Fleur.

Soon, lunch was over, so Harry, Gabby and Fleur paid for their meals, and started walking back to The Leaky Cauldron. Harry called for Dobby and Winky, where Winky decided to escort Fleur back to Hogwarts, since Fleur wanted Harry and Gabby to have some time to themselves. Harry asked Dobby to take Gabby and himself to the Ministry of Magic, so they could talk to Madam Bones. Then, Harry stopped an employee, who had dark skin.

"Excuse me," said Harry. "Do you know where the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is located?"

"Yes I do, Mr. Potter," said the man, who managed to spot the barely visible scar. "I'm Kingsley Shacklebolt, if you'd follow me, I'll show you. You're both here to talk to Madam Bones, I presume!"

"Yes sir," said Harry. "To show her these counterfeit contracts!"

He showed one to Kingsley, who gasped in shock, seeing that Amelia's niece was also involved. This made Kingsley shudder a bit, knowing what was bound to happen once Amelia saw it. So Harry and Gabby followed Kingsley to Amelia's office. He explained to them that the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was located on the second floor. They eventually made it to Madam Bones office, where Kingsley wished them good luck. Harry knocked on the door, then a woman with red-hair turning gray opened the door. She was wearing black ministry robes, and she also had a monocle over one eye. She also saw Harry's scar, since it was still somewhat visible.

"Hello, Mr. Potter," she greeted. "What may I do for you?"

"Some important business," stated Harry. "I went to Gringotts earlier today, and it turns out that there are a number of people who have committed crimes against the most ancient and most noble house of Potter!"

"Oh okay," said Amelia. "Come on in!"

So she showed Harry and Gabby into her office and offered them a seat. Once Harry and Gabby took a seat, Amelia began asking them questions.

"What kind of crimes have been committed against you, Mr. Potter?" Amelia asked.

"These contracts here," said Harry as he handed a copy of each counterfeit contract to Amelia. "They are apparently marriage contracts, and a number of fourth year students signed their names, with one of them forging my name!"

Amelia looked over the fake contracts, when she read her niece's name, she was beyond furious. How could Susan do this to Harry, considering that he's a member of an allied house.

"HOW COULD SUSAN DO THIS?" yelled Amelia as she pounded a fist into her desk. "DIDN'T I MAKE IT CLEAR NOT TO ACT HOSTILE TOWARD ANY ALLIES?"

This made Harry and Gabby jump a bit. Amelia's yelling really _was_ pretty fierce, as Bill and Kingsley stated. Amelia saw the two teens jump.

"I'm not mad at either of you," she assured. "I'm just outraged that Susan had been doing alot more than I thought."

"She was even among those brewing up love potions," said Harry. "Those fake marriage contracts were to have me marry Pansy Parkinson, and then enslave me for eternity. Pansy was even the one who forged my signature, Ragnok even did a blood test."

"And one of those contracts was a plan for me to become a sex slave," stated Gabby. "And another one to make my sister Fleur be come one as well."

"Geez, this is all... new information," said Amelia. "I never would've thought Susan would join in on this! I was even informed that she and this group of Harry-Haters have started skipping classes and continuing what they've been doing."

"Yes, they have," said Harry, who handed Amelia a piece of parchment. "And this is what Professor Dumbledore has been planning all this time!"

Amelia took it and read it. She couldn't believe Albus would steal from the Potters' vault. She also couldn't believe that Cornelius was involved. Amelia's eyes widened in shock when she saw that Barty Crouch Jr's name was even on there. He supposedly died in Azkaban, so how could he be alive? Something truly wasn't right.

"Thank you, very much for all of this information," said Amelia. "I will get all of this taken care of."

"And one more thing," said Harry. "If Susan is still the scion of House Bones, then I'm probably going to break the alliance. Susan doesn't deserve any help from me!"

Amelia paled at that, knowing that the alliance of House Potter and House Bones had been going for the last three hundred years.

"Please, Mr. Potter," begged Amelia. "Don't end the alliance. Is there anything I can do?"

"Well," said Harry. "If she gets kicked out, then I'll keep the alliance going."

"I understand," said Amelia. "I did make it clear that she was to treat you well. To go against that, oooooh... she's going to be in soooo much trouble once she's caught. And Miss Delacour, I'll inform the French Ministry of the scheme involving you and your sister, Fleur."

"Thank you, Madam Bones," said Gabby. "It's time those people face the consequences!"

"And Madam Bones," said Harry. "If, at all possible, could you try to get a trial set for Sirius Black? You'll be surprised that he never even had one, and that's pretty suspicious!"

"Of course," said Amelia. "It does look suspicious. I'll do whatever I can!"

"Thank you, Madam Bones!" said Harry.

So he and Gabby left Amelia's office, so she could get to work. Then, Harry called for Dobby and asked him to apparate them to the Leaky Cauldron, so Harry and Gabby can look for a reliable reporter for the Daily Prophet in Diagon Alley. One reporter, whose name is Boris Milton, decided to interview Harry. He even assured Harry that he was more interested in the truth, unlike Rita Skeeter. Gabby even answered some of the questions asked. Harry even disclosed his life with the Dursleys, about what Professor Dumbledore had been doing, about how he was forced to compete in the Triwizard Tournament, about how his so-called best friends betrayed him, and the crimes committed against him. Once they were finished, Harry and Gabrielle walked out of the Daily Prophet main office, and out into the streets of Diagon Alley, hand in hand.

 _To be continued!_

 **Author's note 2: Sorry for the long wait. Updates for this story might not be as frequent, that way, I can think long and hard about what should be in the other chapters, since the end of this chapter is the start of Harry's revenge to get back at his tormentors and make them realize the error of their actions the hard way. But, I did start on some more Harry Potter fanfic stories. Hopefully, that will tide you all over until my next chapter for this story comes out.**

O **ne of them, which will be the start of my "** **Harry in Hufflepuff** **" story series and where Harry is paired with Susan Bones, with the first one called "** **Harry Potter And The Solution Of Immortality.** **" That one is based on the first book, but I decided to come up with a title similar to Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone.**

 **And a second one, wh** **ere Harry is paired with an OC. That one already has some chapters finished, and it's called "** **Harry Potter And His Hidden Power.** **" I won't reveal the OC's name for that story here, just so there aren't any spoilers.**


	22. Chapter 22

_Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own the Harry Potter universe. The rights belong to J.K. Rowling. No copyright intended!_

Ch. 22

Time For Revenge... Marauder Style!

After the interview with the Daily Prophet, Harry and Gabby decided to stop at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, where Harry and Gabby got bubble-gum and raspberry flavoured ice cream respectively. The best part was that the ice cream was charmed to avoid getting melted. Harry spotted a familiar face a couple tables away... it was Oliver Wood.

"Hey, Wood!" Harry greeted as he walked up to Oliver.

"Harry!" said Oliver as he spotted the hardly visible scar. "It's great to see you!"

"Great to see you, too, Wood," said Harry. "Are you back here visiting your family?"

"Yeah," said Oliver. "But me and the rest of the United Puddlemere Reserve players were traveling through here, and I just thought I'd visit my folks while I'm still here in London!"

"I see," said Harry. "Did you hear about the Triwizard Tournament?"

"Yeah," said Oliver. "I also heard that you were competing!"

"Except, I'm not a willing competitor," stated Harry. "Somebody submitted my name for the tournament. I do hope you believe me, Wood!"

"Of course I do, Harry," assured Oliver. "I know that you don't like all the attention. I heard that alot of students have been treating you with contempt."

"Yeah, they have been," said Harry. "But, there have been some who have been by my side, including Fred, George and Lee."

"That's good," said Oliver. "What about Angelina, Alicia and Katie?"

"No, they turned their backs on me," said Harry. "In fact, Angelina unjustly kicked me off of the team, with Alicia and Katie agreeing with it."

"WHAT?!" said Oliver, outraged. "How could they do that? They should've been by your side! I can't believe that they would show ungratefulness towards you! What should I do?"

"I have an idea." said Harry.

He whispered it into Oliver's ear, while Gabby watched with interest. She wondered what kind of idea Harry had up his sleeve. Once Harry finished, Oliver had a grin on his face.

"This will make them learn the hard way," said Oliver. "Especially that Professor McGonagall doesn't have any idea that this happened."

"Yeah," agreed Harry, then he turned toward Gabby. "This is my girlfriend, Gabrielle Delacour, or Gabby for short!"

"Nice to meet you, Miss Delacour!" said Oliver as he shook hands with Gabby.

"Nice to meet you, too, Mr. Wood!" said Gabrielle as she shook Oliver's hand. "So what kind of idea does Harry have?"

"He wants that to be a surprise," said Oliver. "Something that will 'put on a show,' at breakfast in the Great Hall tomorrow!"

"Ooh, that'll be interesting!" said Gabby with glee.

"Well, I'd better go and visit my family," said Oliver. "Good luck with the revenge thing, you two!"

"Thank you, Wood!" said Harry and Gabby simultaneously.

Once they were finished, Harry called for Dobby to escort himself and Gabby to Potter Manor. They apparated to the front door, and put his family on the doorknob, which allowed it to unlock. Once Harry and Gabby walked in, they were greeted by two more house-elves, who were happy to see Harry.

"Master has returned," they greeted.

"I'm Missy!" said the female house-elf.

"And I'm Dilly!" said the male house-elf.

"Would you two like to have two more house-elves join House Potter?" Harry asked Dilly and Missy.

"Of course, master Harry!" they said ecstatically.

While Dobby waited, Harry called for Winky, who appeared in a pop. Then, Harry faced Dobby and Winky.

"Would you two like to be bounded to House Potter?" he offered.

"YES, WE'S WOULD LIKE THAT VERY MUCH!" cried Dobby and Winky happily.

So Harry held Dobby's hand and declared him now a member of House Potter, then he did the same for Winky. Harry even assured the house-elves that he will treat them like family, which they were overjoyed to hear. Then Harry sat down on a couch in the living room, so he can think of some ideas for his revenge, but at the same, it became overwhelming.

"Are you okay, Harry?" asked Gabby with concern in her voice.

"Yeah," said Harry. "Just alot on my mind."

"Would you like to talk about it?" asked Gabby as she held Harry's hand in a comforting manner.

"Sure." said Harry.

So he started telling Gabby what his life was like before Hogwarts. How he was treated like a slave, worse than a house elf by his relatives; how Dudley and his gang would scare away any kid who tried to approach and befriend him; how he was given very little to eat; how he was almost always excluded from family outings; how Dudley always got presents and pocket money, even if he didn't work for it. Harry even explained how he was also abused and given punishments if he got better grades than Dudley at primary school or much worse, for not completing an unreasonable amount of chores within a certain time limit, for burning breakfast (even if it was accidental), and even for unusual so-called infractions, such as breathing, coughing, or even existing. Gabby was in tears as she was told the story. She couldn't believe what kind of life Harry had been living for much of his life.

"Would you like me to tell you a little about my life?" asked Gabby.

"Sure," said Harry. "It's fair after all, since I told you mine!"

So Gabby told Harry how she and Fleur were treated like objects. She even told Harry how she and Fleur had difficulty maintaining friendships with other girls because of having some veela traits, and how that also affected their abilities of finding somebody who liked them for their personality, rather than for their looks. Harry was also in tears, finally knowing how Gabby's and Fleur's lives were, in some ways, similar to his. So the two teens just hugged each other, while holding hands.

A little while later, Gabby left the basement after taking care of her attempt to 'teach the Dursleys a lesson.' She called for Dobby, who approached her while Harry was exploring the manor.

"Dobby," said Gabby as she showed him a red envelope. "Would you go back to Hogwarts, find Harry's owl, and if she's alright with it, apparate her over to where Harry's relatives are and have Hedwig fly this howler over to them. I can't believe how they could treat Harry like a slave, and I would like to make it _veeeeeerrryyyyyyyy_ clear to them! Would you be willing to do that?"

"Of course, Miss Gabby," said Dobby. "Dobby knows wheres Harry's relatives lives! Dobby is more than willing to helps out with that!"

So he grabbed Gabby's howler and apparated to the Hogwarts owlery. Then he asked Hedwig if she'd like to help teach the Dursleys a lesson. Hedwig hooted with approval, then she flew down onto Dobby's arm, grabbed a hold of the howler in her beak, and Dobby apparated both Hedwig and himself to a hidden area close by #4 Privet Drive. Vernon and Petunia were having a peaceful, 'unfreakish' afternoon when they saw the snowy owl fly in through the open greenhouse door and dropped the red envelope on the table, then flew away and back to Dobby, who apparated them away. Vernon and Petunia looked at the red envelope in confusion, but also in overconfidence.

"What is this freakish thing?" asked Vernon, who picked up the red envelope.

"Sh-She told me about those things once," said Petunia, trying to hide her nervousness. "I think it's called a h-howler or something!"

"I don't recognize the damn name, so I'm ripping it up!" said Vernon, who noticed that it refused to be torn up. "Okay, I'll just throw it away!"

So Vernon threw the envelope into the trash can, which magically floated out and back onto the dining table. So Vernon tried to dispose of it into the fireplace. But the red envelope didn't seemed to be burning up and, once again, floated out and back onto the table, with no signs of having been burned. The red envelope began smoking, with it's temperature starting to increase. Vernon, of course, was being arrogant and overconfident, and still refused to open the envelope called the 'Howler.' If Petunia was becoming terrified, she refused to acknowledge it.

"Didn't I tell that boy that I won't tolerate any of this 'funny business?'" screamed Vernon, whose face turned purple with anger and rage.

So he threw the howler outside and closed the door. But it disappeared, and then magically reappeared back on the dining table, much to Vernon's fury. No matter what he did, the howler never got destroyed in any way. The howler was smoking a bit more harshly, and shaking a bit more violently as the temperature continued rising. Still, neither Vernon nor Petunia had any intentions of opening the howler, which continued to get hotter and hotter, with the smoking becoming worse and worse. Finally, after five minutes of having been left unopened, the howler finally exploded, with it's message screaming:

 **"VERNON AND PETUNIA DURSLEY, HOW DARE YOU TREAT HARRY POTTER LIKE A SLAVE, AND ABUSE HIM PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY...!"**

The screaming was so loud that both Vernon and Petunia had to cover their ears, but the howler's message was still audible enough. In fact, the windows blew out, due to the loudness coming from the exploded howler.

 **"...WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE WOULD DO THIS TO ONE OF THEIR OWN AND CALL THEMSELVES NORMAL? I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD HAVE THE NERVE TO DOING SOMETHING AS HIDEOUS AS THIS! YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES, BECAUSE NOBODY TREATS A CHILD THE WAY YOU DO WITHOUT GETTING CAUGHT! THE BOTH OF YOU, AS WELL AS YOUR SON ARE DESPICABLE COWARDS, WHO HAVE NO CONSCIENCE, NO EMPATHY, AND WORST OF ALL, NO REMORSE...!**

The neighbors of #3 and #5 Privet Drive had some of their windows blown out. Then they walked outside and faced the yard of #4, with angry looks on their faces. In fact, the other neighbors of Privet Drive walked outside, also facing the front yard of #4 Privet Drive.

 **"...I CERTAINLY HOPE THAT THE PROPER AUTHORITIES ARREST YOU THREE FOR WHAT YOU DID TO HARRY POTTER! AND I ALSO HOPE THAT SON OF YOURS DOESN'T GET ANYMORE GIFTS, POCKET MONEY, OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT EVER AGAIN! THIS BEHAVIOUR OF YOURS AND TREATMENT TOWARD HARRY FOR THE LAST THIRTEEN YEARS IS INEXCUSABLE...!"**

One of the neighbors of Privet Drive went back inside and called the police. Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley were now on the verge of getting what was coming to them.

 **"...I HAVE NEVER HEARD ANYBODY, SUCH AS YOURSELVES, LYING ABOUT WHAT HAS BEEN GOING ON ALL THIS TIME. THE FACT THAT YOU AREN'T WILLING TO FACE THE CONSEQUENCES FOR YOUR ACTIONS IS WAY TOO LOW, AND THEN CONTINUE YOUR ABUSE TOWARDS HARRY! YOU GO STRAIGHT TO HELL DURSLEYS, YOU GO RIGHT TO HELL FOR ALL ETERNITY!"**

Once the exploded howler finished it's screaming, Vernon and Petunia were, for the first time ever, terrified beyond belief. While Petunia knew that the charade was likely going to be up, she wouldn't accept that. Vernon, however, still continued to act all overconfident, until he heard what sounded like an angry mob out in their front yard.

The neighbors finally realized that the Dursley family were not normal, as they were misled to believe otherwise, for all those years. They couldn't believe that what they had been told had turned out to be a bunch of lies. The neighbors who lived closer to the Dursleys were now feeling guilty for accepting bribes from them, Vernon in particular, to keep quiet. Now, that the real truth was finally revealed, the neighbors of Privet Drive, and the residents from nearby streets were gathering around #4 Privet Drive, with picket signs or sandwich boards, demanding the Dursleys to be arrested and locked up forever. They also made sure that neither Vernon, nor Petunia could escape.

Meanwhile, Dobby had apparated Hedwig back to Hogwarts so she could go back to the owlery. Dilly had apparated Harry and Gabby back to Hogwarts as well. They walked back to the castle front doors, where they met up with all the students who were by Harry's side (after Fleur had informed them what was going to happen once Harry and Gabby returned). Then, Fred, George and Lee asked all of them to follow the three Gryffindor pranksters to the seventh floor, where a certain doorway appeared.

"This is the Room of Requirement!" said Fred and George in unison. "We figured we'd use this room, to ensure that none of our enemies find out what we're up to!"

"Excellent!" said everybody else simultaneously.

"Well, I did find out about my inheritance," said Harry. "And some counterfeit documents ended up in my families vault. They were documents to have me marry Pansy, so she could enslave me. One where Ginny would be forced to marry Draco, so she could also face enslavement. One where Fleur would become a sex slave, and another one where Gabby would become a sex slave as well."

This outraged everybody in the Room of Requirement. How could Ron and his group of Harry-Haters sink to an all time low?

"Harry, there's something else you probably didn't know." said Colin Creevey.

"What's that Colin?" asked Harry.

"You know how shortly after your name came out of that goblet?" said Colin.

"Yeah." said Harry.

"Well," said Colin. "Dennis and I heard Ron talking the Gryffindor girls in his group into slapping you in the face all those times. In fact, he even talked the non-Gryffindor girls in his group to smacking you in the face as well, and they were more than willing to do so. Dennis and I hid ourselves so well that Ron had no idea that somebody was eavesdropping in on him."

"Yeah," said Dennis Creevey. "Ron claimed that it was because you cast the silence charm on him Halloween night before bedtime. Ron also assumed that by having the girls in his group smacking you in the face all those times, it would teach you a lesson."

"So Ron was the one who planned that," said Harry, outraged. "He knew that I would never hit a girl, no matter what. In fact, he knew I wouldn't retaliate with violence, whether it's by magical or muggle means. He just did all that to make me look like a wimp or something. This also reveals that Ron is the real wimp is after all."

"Yeah, that's right," said Ginny. "But there's something good coming from that, Harry."

"What's that, Ginny?" asked Harry.

"It's allowing your enemies to think that they've won," stated Ginny. "But soon, they'll see who the real winners are!"

"You're right, Ginny," said Harry. "I've had enough violence, especially having been on the receving end of that before Hogwarts."

"Really?" asked Neville. "You were abused many times?"

"Yes Neville," said Harry uneasily. "Both physically and mentally. My aunt and uncle would tell me not to retaliate, as that, to them, was violence, and they told me that violence never solves anything, but anytime I did something they assumed was wrong, they would use it, even my cousin Dudley used violence on me, and anybody who tried to befriend me. They even used it on me as punishment for complaining about them using violence."

Everybody in the Room of Requirement was pretty upset to hear what Harry's Pre-Hogwarts life was like. They were all, the girls especially, were in tears. This also increased their determination to bring Harry's tormentors to justice.

"How could those muggles do that?" wondered Fleur. "I'd like to hex them all the way to Timbuktu!"

"That won't be necessary, Fleur," assured Gabby with a smirk. "I sent a howler to those filthy muggles!"

"Did you really?" asked Harry, flabbergasted.

"Yes, I did," said Gabby. "They needed to face the consequences for their actions, one way or the other!"

"Wow," said Harry in astonishment. "That lifted a huge weight off of my shoulders. No wonder I saw you grinning as if you were hiding something wonderful!"

"I guess a marauderess is in the works!" Fred (or was it George) joked.

"We definitely can make one out of Gabby!" joked George (or was it Fred).

"Gabby and I happened to run into Oliver Wood earlier at Diagon Alley!" said Harry.

"Nice," said the twins in unison. "Did you ever tell him about Angelina, Alicia and Katie kicking you off the team?"

"I did," said Harry. "And he was pissed off!"

"Ooh," said Lee. "I wonder if he has something up his sleeve!"

"I did give him an idea," said Harry. "But, I'd like you all to be surprised. It will be happening tomorrow at breakfast!"

"You're right, Harry," said the twins in unison. "We shouldn't miss that!"

"This will also get Professor Dumbledore into alot of trouble," said Dean. "Since he hasn't really been doing an effective job at running the school!"

"Not to mention that he also stole money from my family vault!" said Harry.

"Dumbledore is pretty much going to Azkaban once he's caught," said Neville. "He just keeps committing crimes, all for this Greater Good plan of his!"

"Especially for leaving me at the Dursleys!" said Harry.

"Perhaps we can be of some help, Mr. Potter!" said a familiar voice.

Harry turned around and saw the Gryffindor ghost, Sir Nicholas, along with the Hufflepuff ghost, the Fat Friar, the Ravenclaw ghost, The Grey Lady and the Slytherin ghost, the Bloody Baron.

"Really?" said Harry. "What kind of help?"

"Hogwarts may be a castle, but happens to have some rare form of magic," Sir Nicholas started explaining. "She uses it to keep all bad behaviour in check. She has even told me, and the other house ghosts, that she's upset about how the majority of the students, including those from the foreign school, have been treating you since Halloween!"

"Wow," said Harry with fascination in his voice. "I didn't think I would've expected that!"

"Hogwarts is especially furious with Mister Ronald Weasley," said the Bloody Baron. "As well as his group of what they call Harry-Haters! It was a huge disappointment to me, and the house of Slytherin how Misters Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle and Miss Parkinson would take part in such a heinous act!"

"I've also been upset with the Hufflepuffs," said the Fat Friar. "Especially Miss Bones, Miss Abbott, Miss Jones, Mr. MacMillan, and Mr. Finch-Fletchley.

"I'm also angry at my Ravenclaws," said the Grey Lady. "My anger is worse towards Miss Patil, Miss Brocklehurst, Mr. Corner and Mr. Goldstein."

"I'm pretty disturbed with the behaviour of Gryffindor," said Sir Nicholas. "Hogwarts mentioned that Mr. Potter had been unjustly kicked out some months ago. I'm especially disturbed at the behaviour Mr. Weasley, Mr. Finnigan, Miss Granger, Miss Brown and Miss Patil have been showing. All of the heads of houses are looking for those particularly mentioned students, especially Professor McGonagall, making her job as deputy headmistress even more stressful!"

"All of us are thinking of some pranks," said Harry. "To get back at Ron and his Harry-Hating group especially. Even Professor Dumbledore is gonna be thrown in for a shock!"

"Excellent, Mr. Potter," said Sir Nicholas. "If you do have any ideas us ghost can help with, we'll be happy to help. Good luck Mr. Potter!"

"Thank you!" said Harry gratefully.

So the four house ghosts left the Room of Requirement. They knew that they needed to make sure that Harry's enemies don't know what will happen to them.

"I can't wait to show the ferret several tricks!" said Astoria with glee.

"Not to mention the swamp donkey is bound to have her plan crumble beneath her feet!" said Daphne.

"Crabbe and Goyle especially will be too stupid to notice something is up!" said Tracey.

"Won't Hufflepuff be in for an awakening!" said Cedric.

"Ravenclaw ought to prepare for getting their dues in time!" said Cho.

"Yeah," said Luna. "Revenge in prank forms. I never would've thought that would've felt so great!"

"It's about time the rest of Gryffindor house get their just desserts!" said Dean.

"This does feel really good," said Viktor. "Of all the times headmaster Karkaroff forced all of us to look all serious and tough! But, this way, I can show the softer side of myself!"

"The other Beauxbatons students are gonna be shocked once they find out too late." said Kassidy and Kassandra in unison.

"Yeah!" said Fleur and Gabby ecstatically.

So Harry and his true friends continued with their pranking plans. As long as they were in the Room of Requirement, they wouldn't have to worry about being disturbed in any way.

Meanwhile, in his office, Professor Dumbledore was in a state of shock. How could all the money he had withdrawn from the Potter family vault just disappear all of a sudden. He was sure that Harry was prepared for his destiny, as part of The Greater Good.

'I just hope this doesn't get any worse!' thought Albus desperately.

Little did he know that his plans were beginning to backfire, _big_ time. He was also unaware that Vernon and Petunia Dursley were being arrested at their house. Even Harry's cousin, Dudley was expelled from Smeltings Academy, and arrested on the spot. Albus also didn't know that a certain squib named Arabella Figg was telling the London police everything she knew about the Dursleys.

 _To be continued!_


	23. Chapter 23

_Disclaimer: As usual, I just own the fanfic and OCs. J.K. Rowling is the owner of the Harry Potter universe. No copyright intended!"_

Ch. 23

Dumbledore's Worst Nightmare

Harry and his friends arrived in the Great Hall for breakfast the next morning, wanting to make sure they got to 'watch the show' that Harry promised. Once everybody made it to the Great Hall, owls began swarming with the Daily Prophet in their beaks, dropping them in front of their respective owners. To Dumbledore's surprise, Fawkes also had a copy tied to his talons, which Albus untied. His eyes widened in horror when he saw what the article was:

 **The Truth Behind The-Boy-Who-Lived Finally Revealed**

 **by: Boris Milton**

 _This reporter has learned from the one and only, Harry Potter, that The-Boy-Who-Lived turned out to be a myth! Yesterday, reporter Milton had the honour of interviewing Mr. Potter. Below is Milton's interview with Mr. Potter:_

 _ **Milton:**_ _Did you ever submit your name for the Triwizard Tournament?_

 _ **Harry:**_ _No, I never did. Somebody else did!_

 _ **Milton:**_ _I heard that you were treated coldly as a result of it. Is that true?_

 _ **Harry:**_ _Yes, it's true. I was branded an attention seeker, glory hog, or anything similar to that!_

 _ **Milton:**_ _Did you ever get pulled out of the tournament?_

 _ **Harry:**_ _Unfortunately, I didn't. I was told that it was a magical binding contract. Otherwise, I would've just withdrawn on the spot._

 _ **Milton:**_ _So how did Rita Skeeter get all those lies?_

 _ **Harry:**_ _My guess is that she has somehow been spying. My former best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, along with a number of their members who are part of this group of Harry-Haters, have been feeding her all those lies about me!_

 _ **Milton:**_ _So Ms. Skeeter has been helping to ruin your reputation?_

 _ **Harry:**_ _Yes, she has. She, along with Ron, Hermione and the rest of their group of Harry-Haters, simply refuse to acknowledge that I hate all the attention I get just because I'm The-Boy-Who-Lived! In fact, it was my mother's love that defeated Lord Voldemort, which also resulted in a terrible childhood for me!_

 _ **Milton:**_ _What was your life like before returning to the wizarding world?_

 _ **Harry:**_ _My relatives are terrible muggles. They basically treated me like a slave, abused me, physically and emotionally. I had to do an unreasonable, and a ridiculous amount of chores that were next to impossible to complete within a certain time limit, and I got almost nothing in return. My so-called relatives would also call me a freak, ungrateful prat, you-name-it! One their favourite 'punishments' they gave me was depriving me of food, resulting in me being way too skinny and small for someone my age! My uncle also favoured in whacking me with a belt, mainly on my back and torso, whether I accidentally burned breakfast, got better grades than my cousin or much worse grades, etc...etc. My cousin always got presents or pocket money, even if he never worked for it. I was also given my cousin's overly large hand-me-downs instead of getting clothes that fit me. My cousin even had a gang and they would either scare off and/or beat up any kid who tried to befriend me._

 _ **Milton:**_ _How did your so-called relatives manage to avoid police attention?_

 _ **Harry:**_ _I'm not entirely sure, but my guess is that they may have bribed people to keep quiet. They may have even bribed people to keep from pressing charges against my cousin, who has always been the real trouble maker! My uncle is the director of a muggle drill-making company called Grunnings, and it seems like he gets paid good money!_

 _ **Milton:**_ _That's just awful! What kind of people would do this, and call themselves a normal family?_

 _ **Harry:**_ _Well, they just assume that I'm a burden. When I received my first Hogwarts letter, my uncle confiscated it. In fact, he even made sure I wouldn't get any of my letters, because he and my aunt were more concerned about keeping me there, just so they could continue to order me around like a slave. They even intended to send me to a muggle state school called Stonewall High, which my cousin claimed had a reputation for turning a blind-eye over bullying!_

 _ **Milton:**_ _So how did you find out about the wizarding world?_

 _ **Harry:**_ _At midnight on my eleventh birthday, my good friend, Rubeus Hagrid arrived at a hut on a rock, where me and my relatives were staying. He became my first-ever friend. Although I was skeptical at first, I realized that magic did exist. My aunt and uncle kept telling me otherwise. In fact, they even lied to me about my parents dying in a car crash, but I was always forbidden to ask questions. Hagrid even told me the real truth, and I'm grateful to him for doing so!_

 _ **Milton:**_ _Was it like a dream-come-true when you arrived at Hogwarts for the very first time?_

 _ **Harry:**_ _It seemed like it at first. But on Halloween in my first year, a troll was let in. The next Halloween, a monster was lurking around and petrified several students, one of which was my former best friend, Hermione Granger, who I even helped save from that troll. But, Professor Dumbledore didn't seem to be concerned for the safety of the students, so I had to go down to the Chamber of Secrets myself, where Ginny Weasley was taken to. I defeated the monster, which turned out to be a basilisk. One fang ended up in my arm, which would've killed me if it hadn't been for Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes, whose tears healed my wound, and subsequently saved my life!_

 _ **Milton:**_ _I also heard that you can produce the patronus charm. Is that also true?_

 _ **Harry:**_ _Yes. On the train ride for my third year (which was last year), the train stopped mid-journey, and a dementor entered, looking for a so-called fugitive. But then it entered the compartment I was in, and proceeded to feed on my emotions, and I passed out. I was saved by Remus Lupin, who told me what the creature was once I regained concsiousness. Remus even gave me some chocolate that would help counteract the effects that the dementors presence caused for me. On Halloween that year, I was told that I was a target for murder by Sirius Black. I actually found out that Sirius wasn't the murderer, as the majority of the wizarding world still believed. In fact, Sirius never even received a trial in the first place!_

 _ **Milton:**_ _Why didn't he ever receive a trial?_

 _ **Harry:**_ _From what Sirius told me, everybody assumed he was guilty, and tossed him into Azkaban. He also told me that the one who really betrayed my parents was Peter Pettigrew, who framed Sirius for his crimes_

 _ **Milton:**_ _Will you arrange for Sirius to get a trial?_

 _ **Harry:**_ _I got that taken care of yesterday, after I found out about my inheritance. I'm now the head of the most ancient and most noble house of Potter. Madam Amelia Bones assured that Sirius will get a trial. I was kept from my inheritance because Professor Dumbledore claimed it was for The Greater Good. He even confiscated one of my notification letters from me, after the second task of the Triwizard Tournament. It turns out that he also arranged for my name to emerge from the Goblet of Fire on Halloween of this school year. Ragnok even suspected Dumbledore to have been withdrawing money from my family account, just so I'd be prepared for whatever destiny I was supposedly due to face! Dumbledore also claimed that my treatment at the Dursleys, the majority of the students treating me with disdain, and being ignorant as much as possible was supposed to help prepare me. I don't see how he can think a fourteen year-old can be prepared for something like that!_

 _Mr. Potter was offered 5 million galleons as a token of the Daily Prophet's apology, but he declined it, stating that he will be suing Rita Skeeter for her slandering of his reputation. Barnabas Cuffe, the current editor-in-chief also revealed that one of his most trusted editors, Betty Braithwaite, had been given manipulation potions by Ms. Skeeter to make sure Mr. Potter's reputation was destroyed, after reporter Milton overheard her boasting about it. As a result, Ms. Skeeter will be fired on the spot when and if she shows her face in the Daily Prophet main office._

Dumbledore's face was really pale, petrified with fear. How did Harry find out about his inheritance? Certainly, he needed to face his destiny for the Greater Good! Professors McGonagall, Snape, Sprout and Flitwick gave Albus a paralyzing glare.

"I told you so, Albus," said Professor McGonagall in a no-nonsense voice. "I told you they were the worst sort of muggles imaginable. But did you ever listen to me? NO, the 'great' Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore wouldn't listen, claiming it was for his so-called Greater Good!"

Albus refused to give in, so he got up from the headmaster's chair and walked toward Harry, intending to confront him about the article.

"Harry, my boy," said Albus in his grandfatherly voice. "Surely you're just overreacting!"

"I don't think so, professor." said Harry with contempt in his voice.

Albus reluctantly walked away, knowing that fixing his plans wasn't going to be easy. So he started walking back to his office, hoping to come up with a solution.

Back in the Great Hall, Harry spotted an owl flying toward the Gryffindor chasers. Harry got his friends' attention, and they were watching it closely, with glee. The owl dropped a red envelope in front of Angelina, who picked it up and gasped in horror.

"Oliver sent you a howler?" asked Alicia.

"Y-Y-Yeah," said Angelina with terror in her voice. "I don't s-see w-why!"

"No point in delaying the inevitable!" said Katie reluctantly.

With her hands trembling with fright, Angelina opened the howler, which Oliver's voice started screaming:

 **"ANGELINA JOHNSON, HOW COULD YOU, ALICIA AND KATIE TURN YOUR BACKS ON HARRY? DID YOU EVEN BOTHER TO LISTEN TO HIS SIDE OF THE STORY. NO, I GUESS YOU DIDN'T...!"**

Katie and Alicia cowered a bit, while Angelina gulped nervously. They realized too late that Harry, indeed never entered the tournament, and didn't even want to be in it in the first place.

 **"...YOU SHOULD'VE BEEN ON HARRY'S SIDE. I ALSO CAN'T BELIEVE YOU UNJUSTLY KICKED HIM OFF OF THE TEAM...!"**

Professor McGonagall looked up from her plate upon hearing that, and eyed her Gryffindor chasers, with pure anger.

 **"...BECAUSE OF THAT, HARRY IS LIKELY NOT GOING TO REJOIN THE TEAM. IF YOU'RE NOT ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES, NOW'S THE TIME. SURELY YOU WOULD'VE KNOWN THAT PROFESSOR MCGONAGALL IS GOING TO BE MAD ONCE SHE FINDS OUT ABOUT IT. DON'T EVEN TRY TO APOLOGIZE BECAUSE HARRY IS GOING TO TELL YOU THAT IT'S TOO LATE FOR ONE ANYWAY!"**

The howler burst into flames once it finished, with the three chasers breathing with fright. They nervously looked up at the staff table and clear enough, Professor McGonagall started marching over to Angelina, Alicia and Katie.

"Oh shite!" gasped Katie, cowering even more.

"We're in for it now!" said Alicia.

"Krud, we really should've listened to Harry from the start!" said Angelina, who was also cowering.

Professor McGonagall made it to where her chasers were, facing the cowering girls with a furious look in her eyes. Professor McGonagall even crossed her arms and began tapping her foot repeatedly, much to the amusement of Harry and his real friends.

"What do you three have to say for yourselves?" asked Professor McGonagall sternly.

Neither Angelina, Alicia, nor Katie could say anything.

"I see," said Professor McGonagall. "You three better follow me."

So Angelina, Alicia and Katie got up and followed their head of house, who stopped and faced Harry, Fred and George.

"Perhaps you three ought to come with me as well." said Professor McGonagall.

So Harry, Fred and George got up and followed Professor McGonagall, and the terrified chasers to her office. The deputy headmistress didn't say anything. Angelina, Alicia and Katie had their heads downcast. They made to the transfiguration classroom, where Professor McGonagall cast a silence charm on the door once she closed it, then she instructed her chasers to sit down in front of her desk.

"I can't believe you three would just kick Mr. Potter off of the team," Professor McGonagall scolded her chasers. "Why did you do it?"

"W-We thought he c-c-corrupted you!" said Katie.

She realized too late that she had just said the wrong thing. Professor McGonagall's anger just got worse and worse.

"Corrupted, CORRUPTED?" shouted the furious deputy headmistress. "Would Mr. Potter really do something like that?"

The three Gryffindor chasers shook their heads frantically, knowing that there was no getting out of what their punishment could be.

"Miss Johnson, you almost got to be the Gryffindor Quidditch captain," said Professor McGonagall. "But, in light of your actions, you've just lost that privilege. Same thing goes for you as well, Miss Spinnet and Miss Bell!"

Angelina paled even more once she found out that she lost her chances at being captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Even Alicia and Katie paled with realization that their chances also went up in smoke. Then Professor McGonagall turned to Fred and George.

"The two of you will get to be co-captains next year," Professor McGonagall went on. "Since you both stayed by Mr. Potter's side. Congratulations Mister Weasleys!"

"Thank you, professor!" said the twins in unison.

Meanwhile in his office, Professor Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, trying to think of solutions as to how he was going to get himself out of this mess. It didn't seem likely that he was going to find one. In fact, he couldn't find a loophole in the article with Harry explaining what his life was like, where he could try to weasel his way out.

Over at the Ministry of Magic, Lucius Malfoy and Dolores Umbridge were walking to Cornelius Fudge's office, only to be surrounded by Aurors, with their wands pointed at them.

"Mr. Malfoy and Miss Umbridge," said Auror Shacklebolt. "You are under arrest for creating counterfeit documents, and for attempted line theft on the most ancient and most noble house of Potter."

Two aurors placed Lucius and Dolores in magic suppression handcuffs and took them to the ministry holding cells.

"You two don't have to say anything," said one auror. "For it can and will be used against you as evidence in court!"

After the two corrupt ministry officials were being taken to the ministry cells, Amelia Bones blew a sigh of relief.

"Ragnok had informed me of Lucius and Dolores having helped with depositing those fake documents into the Potter family vaults," she stated. "Their fingerprints were on them. Now, we need to arrest Cornelius, he's also involved with this scheme!"

She showed the other aurors the parchment that had the supposed permission to withdraw money from the Potters vault, with Cornelius getting some of it. So they marched over to Fudge's office, with wands pointed at him. Minister Fudge was smiling nervously, as if to say he has no idea what's going on.

"Minister Fudge, you're under arrested for attempted line theft on the most ancient and most noble house of Potter," said Kingsley as an auror placed Fudge in magic suppression handcuffs. "You don't have to say anything, as it can and will be used against you as evidence in court!"

The aurors escorted Cornelius to the ministry holding cells. Cornelius was hopeful that Albus was going to bail him out of the jam. What he didn't realize was that Albus was in just as much trouble as he was.

Back at Hogwarts, Harry and his real friends were walking the grounds in a patrol-like manner, as they were on the lookout for Ron and his group of Harry-Hating students, so they could be reprimanded and be brought to justice. The teachers (the four heads of houses in particular) were also on the lookout for said students. Professor Dumbledore continued to stay in his office, still trying to find a way out of trouble.

(Meanwhile, over in a certain cave near the path to Hogsmeade)

Ron and the rest of his group of Harry tormentors finished up on the room where they were keep Harry and his friends captive, with evil smiles.

"Well, we finally finished with that room," said Ron with glee. "It's time we make Potter open up that can of whoopass!"

"Yeah," said Draco ecstatically. "We can't have ruffians like him around."

"For sure," said Hermione. "He should be sorry, but Potter is not willing to man up!"

So the rest of the group went back to brewing up more love, hate, berserk and manipulation potions. None of the members were aware of the fact that their plans were starting to fall.

Over in an abandoned shack ten miles from Hogwarts, Sirius Black had just transformed from his animagus back to his human form. He found another pitched copy of the Daily Prophet, picked it up and carried it with him. Once he was safe, Sirius sat down and read the article. He was surprised to see that his godson had managed to clear up the misunderstanding about the whole Boy-Who-Lived nonsense. What made him more overjoyed was that a trial for him was finally going to happen.

'Thanks pup,' thought Sirius with delight. 'Now, we'll finally get to be a family!'

(Meanwhile, in the Great Hall, at lunchtime)

Harry and his friends came in for some lunch. They didn't have any luck spotting Ron, Hermione, nor the rest of their group members. Closer to the middle of the Gryffindor table, Katie looked up in time to see her family owl arriving with a howler, which turned out to be from her mother, much to her horror. Katie opened her howler, which started screaming:

 **"KATIE BELL! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD DO SOMETHING SO WRONG AS TO KICK HARRY OFF OF THE QUIDDITCH TEAM. I'M APPALLED THAT YOU DIDN'T EVEN BOTHER TO LISTEN TO HIM, AND YOU SHOULD'VE KNOWN THAT HE DOESN'T LIKE ALL THE ATTENTION HE RECEIVES. WHEN YOU GET HOME, YOU'LL BE GROUNDED FOR HALF OF THE SUMMER HOLIDAYS!"**

The howler burst into flames once it finished. Katie just ran out and towards a nearby girls lavatory. Not long after that, a howler for Alicia arrived, also from her mother. She opened it and it screamed:

 **"ALICIA SPINNET! HOW COULD YOU TURN YOUR BACK ON HARRY? I DIDN'T RAISE YOU TO BEHAVE THIS WAY. YOU'LL BE GROUNDED FOR HALF OF THE SUMMER HOLIDAYS. IF YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT AGAIN, YOUR FATHER AND I WILL MARCH RIGHT UP TO THE SCHOOL AND BRING YOU HOME!"**

The howler burst into flames once it finished, then Alicia bolted out of the Great Hall. Soon enough, Angelina got another howler, which was from her mother, and it screamed:

 **"ANGELINA JOHNSON! WHAT MADE YOU THINK IT WAS OKAY TO KICK HARRY OFF OF THE QUIDDITCH TEAM? HE TREATED YOU WITH A GREAT DEAL OF RESPECT, AND YOUR ACTIONS AGAINST HIM IS A TERRIBLE WAY TO REPAY HIM, DON'T YOU THINK?! YOU WILL BE GROUNDED FOR HALF OF THE SUMMER HOLIDAYS. I DON'T WANT TO HEAR OF THIS BEHAVIOUR AGAIN, OR WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT HOME!"**

The howler also burst into flames, then Angelina dashed out of the Great Hall. Professor Dumbledore thought that the worst was over, only to realize that he, himself was starting to receive a countless number of howlers, from a various number of wizards and witches. Seeing that, Harry and his real friends got up and left, with grins on their faces. The other students tried to leave, only to be locked in by Lady Hogwarts, as she was punishing those people for their treatment towards Harry. The four heads of houses got up and walked into the antechamber behind the staff table. Inevitably for Albus, he wasn't able to keep up with the howlers, because more and more were being delivered, and a number of the neutral students were receiving howlers as well. Because Albus couldn't keep up with the howlers, some of them eventually exploded and screamed the messages at a louder volume.

"I do wonder if classes will be cancelled tomorrow," said Neville. "Seeing that the neutral students are going to be shaken."

"We'll just have to wait and see," said Harry. "Those howlers that Dumbledork received better be enough to make him realize the error of his actions. But either way, he's still eventually going to be punished!"

Meanwhile, in a shack in the outskirts of London, a man with shabby clothes was reading the Daily Prophet with the article that mentioned the truth behind Harry and his life before Hogwarts. This man was Remus Lupin, and he was grinning, proud of Harry, and at the same time, furious with Dumbledore for his crimes.

'Great job, Harry,' thought Remus proudly. 'You'd be giving your father a run for his money!'

Meanwhile back at Hogwarts, Harry and his friends resumed their search for Ron and his Harry-hating ruffians. They tried looking around the hiking trail over by Hogsmeade, coming to a resting bench. Then Harry instructed his friends to find hiding places nearby, then he called for Dobby, Winky, Dilly and Missy to help keep an eye out, to make sure the Harry-haters don't try to escape. A few minutes later, he heard a familiar voice shout.

"Oh Harry," called out the voice of Pansy Parkinson. "You here, anywhere?!"

"Yes, I am!" said Harry, with a smug grin.

Then he saw Pansy walking toward him, who approached Harry. She had a grin on her face. Harry's friends were spying, making sure Pansy didn't try to escape. Then, Pansy handed Harry a vial of love potion, and Harry took it without hesitation and gulped it down. Gabby's eyes widened upon seeing that, with Fleur holding her hand comfortingly, letting her know that Harry had a trick up his sleeve, with Gabby seeing the hint.

"You know, Pansy, I've wanted to say this to you for a while!" said Harry in an apparently dreamy-like voice.

"Finally!" said Pansy triumphantly. "You're mine... for once!"

"Did you really think a love potion would work on me?" said Harry irritably. "Not even Amortentia would've worked!"

Realizing that that was the signal, Harry's friends stepped out of their hiding spots, approaching the two, with their wands pointed at Pansy. Pansy gasped in horror when she saw what was going on, and knew there was no chance to escape.

"But... but how... how did..." Pansy stammered.

"Did you even remember that I could resist the effects of the imperius curse?" reminded Harry. "Especially when our defence professor demonstrated it!"

"Well, uh... um..." said Pansy nervously.

"And how do you explain these counterfeit documents?" asked Harry sternly, showing her the fake documents.

"Now, now, Harry," said Pansy pathetically. "All of th-this c-can be explained..."

"Yes, it will be..." said Harry angrily. "And _you'd_ better start explaining, right NOW!"

"Well, uh... let's, um... see..." said Pansy, getting more and more nervous.

"Well, if you won't explain it," said Harry sternly. "Then, I will. You and the rest of those pathetic excuses of students out to torment me were attempting to enslave me by having me marry you, with the help of love potions, then you helped set up a fake contract for Ginny to marry Draco, just so she'd get enslaved as well. Then, you attempted to have Gabby and Fleur become sex slaves. And I also read the most recent article with that Skeeter bitch slandering me again. You all have gotten yourselves in really, _reeeeeaaaaaaally_ deep trouble!"

Pansy was so nervous that she looked as though she needed a second pair of trousers, much to the amusement of Harry and his friends. Then Dobby, Winky, Dilly and Missy faced Pansy threateningly, cracking their knuckles, while giving her a paralyzing glare.

"Yous been bad," said Missy and Winky in unison. "Hows would yous do something so bad to master?"

Dobby and Dilly snapped their fingers, magically levitating Pansy over the bench, much to her shock. Then Dobby snapped his fingers, which made Pansy lay on her stomach on one end of the bench, with her knees on the ground, and with her bum sticking up. Then, Dilly snapped his fingers again, to make sure Pansy wouldn't escape. Once she was magically secured, Winky and Missy walked over and started giving Pansy unrelenting spankings, much to Pansy's horror. Harry and his friends were watching it with glee, ignoring Pansy's pleas for mercy.

"What goes around, comes around!" said Harry angrily.

So Winky and Missy continued giving Pansy spankings, making sure that the punishment would be harsh. Once the spankings were finished, Pansy tried to get up and walk away, with tears in her eyes. But, Gabby walked up and gave Pansy a swift kick in the butt, resulting in her falling into a muddy pit. Then, Gabby angrily pulled Pansy onto her feet, made her face her paralyzing glare, and then smacked Pansy across the face, really hard, leaving a noticeable red mark.

"You filthy _bitch_ ," Gabby screamed in Pansy's face. "That's for sending me that howler at breakfast the morning after the Yule Ball, also for intending to enslave Harry, and for trying to help with forcing me and Fleur into becoming sex slaves!"

As soon as Gabby finished, Harry also got in Pansy's face, giving her a nasty glare.

"And you," Harry began instructing while pointing a finger at her threateningly. "You are gonna go back to where that hideout of yours is located, tell Ron and the rest of you all's Anti-Potter club members that you all's plan had just backfired. You will also tell them that you all are facing expulsion, and that you all will eventually get arrested for your crimes. IS THAT _CLEAR?!_ "

Pansy nodded her head frighteningly, knowing that she had just made the worst decision of her life yet.

"GOOD," growled Harry. "Now get out of our sight before you make the situation worse!"

With her body trembling, Pansy started walking away, covering her bum with her hands. She didn't even consider that the house elves packed a mean punch into those spankings, and it made her feel like she won't be able to sit comfortably for a couple weeks.

Once that was finished, Harry and his friends went back to the castle, just as Dobby, Winky, Dilly and Missy apparated back to Potter Manor. Harry and his friends headed to the Room of Requirement to come up with some more pranks.

Meanwhile, somewhere out in the country, Vernon Dursley's sister Marge was feeding her dogs, and gave Ripper, her favourite bulldog, a special meal. All of a sudden, a knock at the front door was heard, so she went to answer it, only to find what she assumed was 'oddly-dressed' people, with 'sticks' pointed at her.

"What do you want?" barked Marge.

"That's no way to talk to an auror," snapped Amelia Bones as she showed an ID and some warrants to Marge. "You are under arrest for child endangerment, attempted murder and child abuse!"

"I would never abuse my nephew, Dudders!" growled Marge.

"He's in a juvenile detention centre right now," Amelia informed Marge. "Your brother and sister-in-law have also been arrested for child abuse as well, and are currently held in jail!"

"Dudders wouldn't..." Marge started protesting.

"We're not referring to him," snapped Amelia. "It's Lord Harry Potter we're talking about!"

"That freak, who is a burden..." Marge tried protesting again.

"Your nephew, Dudley was the real troublemaker," interrupted Amelia. "Your brother, Vernon was given veritaserum, and he mentioned how you, like them, abused Harry. He also confessed that your dog, Ripper had once chased Harry out into the yard and up a tree, and that you refused to call your dog off until well past midnight!"

"That freak stepped on my precious Ripper's paw!" Marge protested.

"Vernon even mentioned that it was only an accident," snapped Amelia. "But you all never cared. That part where you allowed your dog to chase Harry up a tree is child endangerment, and also attempted murder, because your dog could've killed him if he had gotten a hold of Harry."

"I'd say let him be killed," said Marge with no remorse. "That boy is a burden to my brother's family! How'd you find out my address, anyway?"

"Like I told you," snapped Amelia. "Your brother was given veritaserum, and so did your sister-in-law because they refused to even talk, and under the effects of veritaserum, they spilled out many of their desperately-kept secrets, including your address when asked who else abused Harry!"

"Yes, well, you can leave and..." Marge started growling, only to be placed in handcuffs.

"You don't have to say anything," Kingsley recited. "As it can and will be used against you as evidence in court!"

So the aurors led Marge out and took her to a ministry cell, where her brother, sister-in-law and nephew were being kept. Animal control had been called in to take the bulldogs to the pound, while Ripper was to be put down, having been declared a danger.

 _To be continued!_

 **Author's note: I'd like to thank the user 'dannyrockon122' for giving me the idea of Harry taking control of the Daily Prophet and clearing up the misunderstanding, and to make sure that Rita gets busted!**


	24. Chapter 24

_Disclaimer: As mentioned, no copyright intended. J.K. Rowling owns the wonderful world of Harry Potter. The fanfic is all I own!_

Ch. 24

The Prank Wars

Pansy made it back to the cave where the other members of the Anti-Potter club were. Draco, Ron and Hermione saw her walk in, in tears.

"What happened, Pansy?" asked Draco.

"H-H-Harry f-found out a-about the c-counterfeit d-documents!" Pansy sobbed, as her bum was still in pain from having received spankings from Harry's female house-elves.

"WHAT?!" shouted Ron, outraged. "Our plan was supposed to succeed!"

"And his punishment for me was spankings, which his female house-elves provided!" cried Pansy. "A-And the love potions didn't affect him at all!"

"Damn it," said Hermione in exasperation. "How could that be?"

"H-He said it was because of r-resisting the effects of the Imperius Curse," said Pansy tearfully. "I-It d-does make sense!"

"How could our plan start failing when we've been doing everything to make sure it didn't?" asked Ron, who was desperate for another plan.

"Potter must've found out about his inheritance." Hermione concluded.

So the rest of the group started coming up with another plan to make sure they wouldn't fail.

Meanwhile, Harry and his friends were walking around the interior of Hogwarts, pranking unsuspecting targets as revenge for calling Harry an attention seeker, glory hound, or any similar name. The first and second years were spared, because they are still somewhat new to Hogwarts. But third years were expected to be on better behaviour. Harry, Cedric, Cho, Lee, Gabby and Astoria were in one group; Fred, George, Daphne, Ginny, Viktor and Dean were another; Fleur, Kassidy, Kassandra, Tracey, Neville and Luna in a third group. Harry suggested that they split up into smaller groups. Colin and Dennis opted to keep an eye on Gryffindor Tower and be on the watch for any suspicious activities.

Harry, Cedric, Cho, Lee, Gabby and Astoria were somewhere on the fourth floor when they encountered a fifth year Ravenclaw female, and a fourth year Slytherin male. Cho recognized the Ravenclaw as her friend, Marietta Edgecombe. The fourth year Slytherin was Theodore Nott, who Harry recognized because of sharing some classes with Slytherins more than the other houses, and Astoria recognized him because of being in the same house as him.

"Oh, such a shame you had to be corrupted, Cho." said Marietta.

"So, it seems like the article about Harry's life wasn't a wake-up call?" said Cho.

"So, he just wants more attention, does he!" taunted Marietta.

"If Cedric believes Harry, so do I." said Cho.

"Well, Hermione Granger says that Potter can't be trusted." Marietta claimed.

"How so, she's not even here." said Cedric.

"We've been keeping them up to date," Theodore revealed, with an evil grin. "Marietta and I are also part of their group of Potter-haters. We've been their eyes and ears, making sure they wouldn't face justice."

"So that's how they all have been avoiding trouble," said Harry with realization. "And you both have been playing dumb if any teacher comes to anybody with questions."

"Nice guess, Potter." said Marietta grudgingly.

"And Greengrass," said Theordore to Astoria. "Draco said that you should've joined the Anti-Potter club. He has stuff he can teach you."

"No way," said Astoria defiantly. "I'd rather learn that stuff from Harry and those who have stayed by his side. They're alot better than this Anti-Potter club."

"Draco isn't going to take no for an answer from you," said Theodore. "You belong to him."

"No I don't," said Astoria, outraged. "I can make my own decisions!"

"Fine then," said Theordore as he raised his wand at Astoria and incantated. "Crucio!"

Astoria screamed as her body fell to the ground, writhing in intense pain. As Astoria continued screaming because of the unbearable pain, Harry pointed his wand with careful aim, at Theordore's wand.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry chanted.

Theodore's wand flew out of his hand, ending the Cruciatus Curse inflicted on Astoria.

With his wand still aimed at Theodore's, Harry chanted: "Accio Theodore's wand!"

Theodore's wand flew towards Harry, who caught it and pocketed it. Then, Lee cast a charm on Theordore that levitated him a few feet in the air and made him spin around in circles a few times. As soon as the curse stopped, Astoria stopped writhing on the floor, but the pain was still too much for her to stand up. The pain was more than enough to make her cry, but she also took some deep breaths. Marietta aimed her wand at Gabby.

"Imper..." she began incantating, until...

"Expelliarmus!" chanted Cho as she aimed her wand at her former best friend's wand, which flew out of her hand, and then Cho chanted: "Accio Marietta's wand!"

Marietta's wand flew towards Cho, who caught it and pocketed it, much to Marietta's shock.

"Neither you, nor Theodore deserve to have wands," Cho said to Marietta. "You both just sunk to an all-time low, using unforgivable curses!"

Cedric, Lee and Gabby stayed to keep an eye on Marietta and Theodore, with their wands pointed at them, and prevent them from escaping, and to also keep an eye on Astoria while she was recovering. Then Harry and Cho started jogging to Professor McGonagall's classroom, intending to hand the wands to the deputy headmistress. The rest of Harry's friends found Cedric, Gabby and Lee with their wands pointed at Marietta and Theodore. Daphne and Tracey kneeled by Astoria, who was still recovering from the effects of the Cruciatus Curse.

"Tori, you alright?" asked Daphne with worry.

"Not really," cried Astoria as her older sister hugged her for comfort. "It s-s-still h-hurts!"

"Let's get you to Madam Pomfrey," said Tracey. "Just to be safe!"

So she and Tracey pulled Astoria to her feet. She was still trembling in her legs and arms, so Daphne and Tracey had to put themselves under Astoria's arms, to keep her steady while they escorted her to the hospital wing.

Meanwhile, Harry and Cho made to Professor McGonagall's classroom. Harry knocked on the door, with Professor McGonagall answering the door.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Chang," she greeted. "What happened?"

"Two students used, or attempted to use unforgivable curses," Harry informed his head of house. "Theodore Nott managed to use the Cruciatus Curse on Astoria!"

"And my former best friend, Marietta," said Cho. "She tried to use the Imperius Curse on Gabby Delacour, but never finished the incantation!"

"There are witnesses," said Harry. "Just in case!"

"Thank you, Mr. Potter and Miss Chang," said Professor McGonagall. "I'll take care of this!"

So she walked out of the classroom, and by that time, she spotted the Weasley twins and Lee escorting Theodore and Marietta, with their wands pointed at the two, over to Professor McGonagall.

"Here they are, professor." said Lee.

"They were also part of Ron's Anti-Potter club," said Fred (or was it George). "That's how they've been avoiding trouble. With Nott and Edgecombe keeping them updated about what's going on!"

Outraged, Professor McGonagall instructed Theodore and Marietta to follow her. She escorted them to an unused second floor classroom and ordered them to stay, casting confinement charms on the door, to ensure they wouldn't escape. Neither Theodore nor Marietta would fess up as to where the other Anti-Potter club members were hiding.

Meanwhile in the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey was tending to Astoria, who was still in pain from the Cruciatus Curse. Madam Pomfrey assured Daphne and Tracey that Astoria would be alright. Daphne went back to the Slytherin common room and went to write a letter to her parents, informing them what had happened.

(Back in the cave)

The other Anti-Potter members were going over another plan, to ensure that they would succeed. They were also waiting for either Marietta or Theodore to give them any heads up.

"What's keeping those two?" asked Draco.

"I don't know," said Ron. "Maybe I should go on a reconnaissance mission!"

"No," said Hermione. "You'll get caught if you walk toward the castle."

Ron reluctantly followed Hermione's warning. Pansy was still in tears, seeing that her bum was still hurting. That was enough for Pansy to have to use several cushions anytime she sat down, to avoid any further pain.

"Maybe Theo is trying to talk Astoria into joining us," Draco guessed. "I have tried talking her into it myself a few times, but she refused every time."

"Then, we must take Potter out first," said Hermione. "As long as he's still around, he's just gonna continue corrupting anybody into believing his _stupid_ lies!"

"You're right Hermione," said Ron. "Perhaps all of us should help set up a trap, so well hidden that he'll never see it coming!"

"Excellent, Ron," said Susan. "That will definitely help us ruin Potter's reputation, once he's out of the picture... for good!"

"And we can also help de-corrupt Professor Sprout!" said Hannah with glee.

So the rest of the group started going over the plan more, to see if they could also come up with some other plans.

(Meanwhile, in the Hogwarts library)

Harry was looking through a book, to look for any more loopholes in the magical binding contract for the tournament. Clearly being an unwilling competitor, he could withdraw, right? Ragnok told him so. Harry found the information he was looking for. It explained that unwilling competitors had the right to withdraw, because those of age are the only ones who can compete. If somebody submitted the person, then they will be the ones to lose their magic if the unwilling competitor chooses to withdraw. Harry smiled mischievously, knowing exactly that he was going to throw Dumbledork in for a nasty loop.

Meanwhile, Fleur, Gabby, Kassidy and Kassandra were showing Madame Maxime the way to Professor McGonagall's office. Madame Maxime had been informed that Gabby had almost been placed under the Imperius Curse. The Beauxbatons headmistress wasn't pleased, and wanted to ask Professor McGonagall where the student who almost used that unforgivable was. Professor McGonagall showed Madame Maxime to the unused classroom, where Theodore and Marietta was in. The angry Beauxbatons headmistress glared at the cowering Marietta Edgecombe.

"Fleur and Gabrielle's parents will be furious with you," Madame Maxime told Marietta. "Monseiur Delacour works for the French Ministry of Magic!"

Marietta gulped nervously, realizing that she has gotten herself into even more hot water. Marietta looked as though she required an extra set of trousers with that revelation.

(At lunchtime, in the Great Hall)

Once Harry and his friends made to the Great Hall, Harry started walking to Professor Dumbledore, confidently. Professor Dumbledore showed a grin, thinking Harry must've decided to continue being a blind follower, until...

"Professor," said Harry firmly. "I withdraw my involvement in the tournament!"

"Harry, my boy," said Dumbledore. "You must comp..."

"I was never a willing competitor," said Harry. "I found some useful info, telling me unwilling competitors can withdraw!"

Then, 'Professor Moody' stood up, desperate for 'something.'

"No," said 'Moody.' "Potter must compete. It's mandatory!"

Everybody looked at the defense professor, they were getting suspicious with 'Moody's' anxiousness. Harry also started coming to conclusions, so he pointed his wand at 'Moody.'

"That's not Moody," said Harry. "He's an impostor!"

He disarmed 'Moody,' summoned his wand to him, and pocketed it. Then, Harry turned back to Professor Dumbledore.

"As I said," said Harry firmly. "I withdraw as a competitor. Fleur, Viktor and Cedric are the true champions, and they deserve that, not me!"

Suddenly, 'Moody' started screaming as he was engulfed in a cloud of blood red smoke. Once it dissipated, he wasn't 'Moody' anymore. It was Barty Crouch Jr, who was looking utterly terrified, especially once he realized that he couldn't do magic anymore. Harry bounded him with conjured ropes, picked up Moody's hip flask, walked over to Professor Snape and handed it to him.

"Here professor," said Harry. "You might want to check this, for any suspicious potions!"

Professor Snape checked the hip flask, and sniffed it a little, "Polyjuice Potion!" he said with realization.

"Now we know who's been stealing the ingredients for the polyjuice potion, Severus!" said Professor McGonagall.

She, along with professors Snape, Sprout and Flitwick walked to the still-terrified Barty Crouch Jr, with their wands pointed at him.

"Where's professor Moody?" McGonagall demanded.

"Privileged information!" said Barty Jr sneeringly.

All of a sudden, Harry spotted what looked like a keychain. So he pointed his wand in the direction of the keychain.

"Accio keychain!" Harry chanted.

The keychain flew toward Harry, who grabbed it, inspected the keys and saw that there were ten keys, with a number on each one. He handed the keychain to Professor McGonagall, who grabbed it, then she asked Harry, Professors Snape, Sprout and Flitwick to follow her to the defence classroom. Professor Dumbledore paled, knowing that his plans for The Greater Good were crumbling in his very clutches.

Harry, professors McGonagall, Snape, Sprout and Flitwick made it to the defence classroom and made their way to Moody's office. Professor McGonagall used the keys to unlock the trunk. Each key showed something different in the trunk. There was some commotion coming from the closet. Harry tried opening the door, which was locked. So he cast the unlocking charm on the door, and opened it. Harry gasped in shock at seeing two people held captive, held in magic suppression wrist shackles that were hanging from the ceiling.

 _To be continued!_

 **Author's note 1: I know I left this as a cliffhanger, but I felt it was necessary. I also figured this could help you all be prepared for as to who Harry spotted in the closet, in magic suppression wrist shackles.**

 **Author's note 2: I'd like to thank the user 'Omega97' for giving me the ideas of the impostor Moody desperately insisting on Harry staying in as a competitor, and thus, making everyone suspicious, with Barty getting subdued, and thus allowing Cedric not to be unjustly murdered, and for Barty Jr to never bewitch the Triwizard Cup into the portkey.**


	25. Chapter 25

_Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the wonderful world of Harry Potter. I just own the fanfic, and OCs. No copyright intended!_

Ch. 25

The Biggest Lie Dumbledore Ever Told

Harry couldn't believe who he happened to spot in the closet. One of the prisoners held captive was a man with the untidy black, just like Harry's, and the same round-shaped glasses. The other captive was a woman with red hair and emerald-green eyes. Harry was shocked when he realized that his parents had been alive all this time.

"Mum! Dad!" said Harry, with surprise in his voice.

"Hi, son," said James. "We missed you!"

"Sweetheart!" Lily replied tearfully.

Harry was still too shocked, realizing that he didn't have to go to the Dursleys at all. The more he thought about it, the more respect he was losing toward Professor Dumbledore. How could the old coot do this? Was his plans for this Greater Good really worth it? There were so many questions popping up in his mind. Harry spotted a key on the floor close by his parents, and moved forward to pick it up. What he also didn't expect was to see three more captives, also in magic suppression shackles, they were also out-cold for some reason. One of them was none other than Tom Marvolo Riddle Jr, which was surprising. The second captive was a girl, who also had red hair and emerald-green eyes, just like her mother. The third was also a girl, with black hair and gray eyes. Harry wondered if she could be Sirius' daughter.

"All... all this t-time," Harry stammered. "I th-thought Tom was the bad guy!"

"We'll explain it to you, son," assured James. "Could you unlock our shackles please, and we'll tell you the whole story?"

Harry did just as his father asked. Once that was done, his parents hugged him, with tears flowing down their cheeks. James and Lily were finally reunited with their son, who they hadn't seen since Halloween 1981. James went to pick up his wand, aimed it at who could be Sirius' daughter.

"Finite Incantantum!" James chanted, while Lily picked up her wand.

"Finite Incantantum!" she chanted as she aimed her wand at her daughter.

James also cast 'finite incantantum' at Tom Riddle. After a few minutes, they began to regain consciousness, with Tom taking a little longer than the girls. Once the girls regained consciousness, James unlocked their respective magic suppression shackles. Then Lily walked toward Harry, with her daughter (also Harry's sister).

"Harry," said Lily. "I'd like to introduce you to your sister, Liliana!"

Harry and Liliana shook hands, and then they gave each other a hug. Lily shed a tear seeing her children interacting with each other for the very first time. James was also happy, as this was a special moment. Once Liliana finished, James approached Harry, with the girl who could be Sirius' daughter.

"And Harry," said James. "This is your godsister, Serena, Sirius' daughter!"

Harry also shook hands with Serena, and they also hugged each other. James smiled at that, it was also a special moment. Harry interacting with his godsister, for the first time.

"Sirius will be proud of this if he were to see it!" James muttered to himself.

Professor McGonagall walked in and gasped in shock upon seeing Lily and James. All this time, she thought they had died that night. Had Dumbledore really gone crazy? What were his motives all this time? Professor McGonagall also hadn't expected to see that James and Lily eventually had a daughter. She also saw who she guessed might be Sirius' daughter. Professor Snape also walked in, and gasped when he saw Lily.

"Hi, Severus!" said Lily.

Snape was speechless, with a mixture of surprise and anger. How could Albus have lied about Lily's and James' deaths being real? When he saw their daughter, who looked exactly like Lily, Snape fainted from shock. Madam Ponfrey also came by, to help get Alastor out of his trunk. Upon doing that, she walked into the closet and saw Lily and James, enough to shock her. By this time, Tom Riddle regained consciousness. Once Madam Pomfrey got over her shock, she instructed Lily, James, Liliana, Serena and Tom to go to the hospital wing, seeing that they were malnourished. Harry began walking back to the Great Hall, where his friends were, still waiting for him.

"Harry, what happened?" asked Gabby when she saw the shocked look on Harry's face.

"I just found out that my parents have been alive all this time," said Harry. "Dumbledork pretty much crossed the line!"

All of Harry's friends were shocked to hear that. They all lost respect for Dumbledore. At that moment, Madam Bones and several aurors came in and placed Barty Crouch Jr in handcuffs. They knew he wouldn't be able to escape, due to Harry's withdrawal from the tournament as a competitor. Madam Bones glared at Albus, letting him know that he was eventually going to be put behind bars.

(Meanwhile, in the cave near the path to Hogsmeade)

Pansy was feeling ill, with her stomach cramping painfully, and her bum was still in some pain from the spankings she received from Missy and Winky. Pansy was starting to see that Harry wasn't a bad person at all, despite her initial thoughts. Those spankings made it all a wake-up call for her. This was also causing Pansy to feel remorse for her actions, but there wouldn't be any getting out of the punishment that she was bound to receive. She also realized that Harry wouldn't be forgiving her, nor the rest of the group.

'How could I have done this?' thought Pansy, feeling ashamed of herself, with tears welling up. 'I could've just tried the real way to win Harry's heart, but I chose to let my animosity toward him get in the way. Now, he has Gabrielle, she won his heart, and now it's too late for any apology.'

(Back in the Great Hall)

Harry and his friends were eating their lunch, when owls started bringing The Daily Prophet to their respective owners. Harry grabbed his copy and started reading it, then his eyes widened in surprise and relief when he read the article, which said:

 **Peter Pettigrew Found Alive, Sirius Black To Be Cleared!**

 **by Boris Milton**

 _In an unexplained phenomenon, a suspicious rat with a missing toe, was found lurking around Diagon Alley, right near a group of five aurors. They cast a magic cancelling charm, and the rat turned into a man known as Peter Pettigrew, who was believed to be dead since November 1981. Pettigrew was placed in magic suppression handcuffs and taken into custody at the Ministry of Magic. Amelia Bones, head of the DMLE, also revealed that Lord Harry Potter, head of the most ancient and most noble house of Potter, Sirius never betrayed his parents, as mentioned in Lily and James will, and that Lord Potter had asked to get Sirius, head of the most ancient and most noble house of Black, a trial that he should've received a long time ago. Given that shocking revelation of Pettigrew having been found alive, a trial may not be necessary any longer. Pettigrew is currently in a ministry holding cell, awaiting trial for his crimes. More on this as it develops._

Harry was happy at the article he read. It was time that Pettigrew reaped what he had sown. Dumbledore was also reading a copy, and he was paler than ever.

'This wasn't supposed to happen,' thought Albus. 'Harry needs to be prepared for his destiny. Where did it all go wrong? It doesn't look like... No, I can save my reputation, I know I can. I need to think of something, and fast!'

He was brought out of his thoughts when he saw Minerva, Snape, Filius and Pomona marching toward him, with their angriest looks ever, much to Albus' shock.

"ALBUS," yelled Professor McGonagall. "How could you? Lily and James have been alive all this time, and you went off and lied to everybody about them having been killed. What in the world were you playing at?"

"I insist on answers too, Albus!" said Professor Flitwick.

"Me, too!" said Professor Snape.

"Yeah, how could you have made up all these lies, and for what?" demanded Professor Sprout.

"Now, now," said Dumbledore pathetically. "Let's not get... hasty. Th-This is all for the Greater Good."

"ENOUGH!" snapped Professor McGonagall. "Lying about Lily and James having died, you've pretty much crossed the line, Albus. No more of this 'Greater Good' nonsense. Amelia told me, on her way out, that Mr. Potter's no-good relatives have been arrested."

"WHAT?!" exclaimed Albus.

"You won't be able to get out of this one, Albus," Professor McGonagall continued. "I told you the Dursleys were going to treat Mr. Potter like a slave, abuse him verbally, physically, and emotionally. I watched them that whole day, but you never listened to my warning. You even underestimated them big time."

Albus laughed nervously, even though he tried to make it look as though it wasn't that bad, but neither Minerva, Severus, Pomona, nor Filius were fooled. They had enough of Albus' manipulations, lies, and overall antics. To make it worse for Albus, the Hogwarts board of governors walked into the Great Hall. The head of the board also glared at Albus as he walked toward the now terrified headmaster.

"It's over Albus," the head school governor declared. "You're done for. I tried explaining that we need to make this school a better place, but you never listened to me. You're hereby, _SUSPENDED!_ "

Albus was now looking much older than his age of 150. His phoenix, Fawkes, also gave his former master an enraged look, and flew back to the headmaster's office. The students who were neutral were listening to the whole confrontation, and they were feeling ashamed of treating Harry horribly when he was treating them with respect and they didn't return the favour. All of Harry's friends, and Harry himself, now had negative respect for the soon-to-be ex-headmaster.

Over at the abandoned shack ten miles from Hogwarts, Sirius, in his animagus, grabbed another copy of The Daily Prophet and started reading it upon returning to his human form. He became ecstatic upon reading the headline mentioning that Wormtail had been found and apprehended, and was also happy that a trial may not be necessary. Sirius also had no idea that there were more surprises waiting for him

 _To be continued!_

 **Author's note 1: I'd like to thank 'dannyrockon122' for the idea of Pansy developing true feelings for Harry, and realizing that it's too late for an apology, and that Harry won't accept apologies from her.**

 **Author's note 2: Yep, I had been planning to have James and Lily alive for quite some time. Even though 'dannyrockon122' suggested them, I had already planned for them to be in the story anyway. The addition of Harry having a sister and a godsister, and Tom Riddle being a good guy were some other ideas I came up with, which wouldn't go away.**


	26. Chapter 26

_Disclaimer: As mentioned before, J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, I just own the fanfic, and OCs. No copyright intended!_

Ch. 26

The Real Tom Riddle

After lunch, Harry and Gabby started walking to the hospital wing to check on Harry's parents, sister, godsister, and Tom. There were alot of questions that kept popping up in his mind. If Tom Riddle was Lord Voldemort, then what was he doing in magic suppression shackles in the closet of Barty Jr's? Why would Dumbledore just lie about the Dursleys being the only 'family' he had left that would 'look after' him? Harry and Gabby made it to the hospital wing and asked Madam Pomfrey about going in.

"Oh, alright," said Madam Pomfrey. "They've been asking to talk to you especially, Mr. Potter!"

So Harry and Gabby went in. They went to check on Tori first, and she was recovering nicely.

"My dad is furious with Nott," said Daphne. "I wrote to him to tell him what happened. Then Tracey and I came back here."

"And, to give the Malfoys a taste of their own medicine," said Tori with relief in her voice. "Mine and Daph's dad even destroyed the marriage contract ferret sr drew up, just so the ferret could marry me. I don't have to worry about that anymore!"

"That's wonderful, Tori," said Harry. "But, Draco will still be getting more of his just desserts!"

"I'm gonna help come up with some ideas, if that's okay, Harry!" said Tori.

"Of course," said Harry. "Ideas are always appreciated. I want to give all of my real friends a chance to help come up with pranks against those Harry haters."

James and Lily saw Harry and Gabby walking toward them, and they were holding hands, which made Harry's parents smile. Liliana and Serena were also smiling to see Harry with a girlfriend. They went into a room where they could have a private discussion. Gabby wanted to be there, too, to provide comfort for Harry if it was needed.

"Well, son," James started explaining. "Here goes the whole story. What really happened that night was that your mother and I got knocked out, by a spell that also shot green light out, but it was different from the killing curse. Dumbledore used a really dark spell to transform into Tom Riddle, just to make it look like he killed us. We weren't out for very long, but pretended to be, and we opened our eyes just a smidgen, and saw Dumbledore cut that scar into your forehead, and then he modified your memory to make you think Tom did it."

"But then, Albus grabbed you to take you away," Lily stated. "But, he also put a memory charm on James and I, to make sure we wouldn't follow him, and be able to find you. Then Tom came out of his hiding spot somewhere and explained what he saw Albus doing. Then, he offered James and I to go to his safehouse, where we could train without Dumbledore knowing."

"So Tom really has been a good guy all this time?" said Harry, baffled. "But, what about the Chamber of Secrets, and that diary?"

"Albus used another dark spell to accomplish that," said Tom. "But, he found out that I was within the wards, and captured me and blackmailed me into helping him, just so you, Harry, would have to fight that basilisk, and part of his plan included bringing Ginny Weasley into it. But, Albus put a false memory on Ginny so she would think I was the one controlling her and making her doing all of what was really Albus' bidding."

"A little less than two years after our fake deaths," said Lily. "That was when Liliana was born, on October 7th in 1983, and Sirius' daughter, Serena was born seven days earlier. When Sirius found out he was unjustly declared a fugitive, he went to his wife, Selena and explained to her what all was going on. Sirius was able to avoid capture for three years, and was able to see his daughter a bit, before he was eventually captured. Selena, later on informed me and James of Sirius' being arrested, and asked us to help look after Serena. She and Liliana bonded really well, but then, shortly before the Quidditch World Cup, Dumbledore found out about me, James, Liliana, Serena and Tom training, then Albus and his minions captured us, but not before Albus himself killed Selena, then he and his minions dragged us back to Hogwarts, where Barty Crouch Jr kept us prisoner in his office closet, placing the five of us in magic suppression shackles, and he boasted about having captured Alastor and keeping him in his trunk."

"Anytime we tried to call for help, Barty Jr came in and threatened us into keeping quiet," said Tom. "Otherwise, he would bring Albus over to 'make sure' we wouldn't try anything like that again."

"Dumbledore _is_ crazy after all," Harry deduced. "I'm surprised he managed to keep you all here, without any teacher getting suspicious. But, what about that scar on my forehead?"

"When Dumbledore transformed into me," Tom continued. "He used some kind of knock-out spell, the same one he used on your parents, and the green light the spell emits is similar to the killing curse, thus making it easier to mistake the two. But, that knock-out spell rebounded and, in an unexplained phenomenon, ended the spell on Albus and made him revert to his original form. Then, he used a dagger to cut that scar into your forehead, then he placed a false memory on you into thinking it was the killing curse."

"Geez," said Harry. "This is... just..."

"Albus will be reaping what he's sown," said Lily. "He's been at this for a long, long time."

"How did he kill Selena?" asked Harry.

"Albus used a different kind of killing curse," explained James. "He made sure we would see it, as a 'warning' not to cross him. The killing curse he used on Selena was a gut-busting curse, causing the victim to die from massive internal bleeding within five to ten minutes. We couldn't save her, all because Albus placed us in magic suppression shackles, then we were dragged back here to Hogwarts."

"I do wonder if this will result in Dumbledore getting a death sentence." said Harry.

"More than likely, sweetheart," said Lily. "He doesn't deserve to live anymore!"

Gabby was still holding Harry's hand, which didn't go unnoticed by Lily and James.

"This is my girlfriend, Gabby!" said Harry.

Gabby shook hands with Lily and James and properly introduced herself.

"So, Harry, where did the old coot take you, that night?" Lily asked her son.

"Well, I've lived with the Dursleys for as long as I can remember." said Harry.

"What?!" exclaimed Lily. "The old coot placed you with Petunia, and Vernon? Ignoring the will..."

"She and Uncle Vernon even treated me like dirt, much worse than a house elf." said Harry.

Lily was enraged at the fact that Harry lived a horrible life before Hogwarts. How could her own sister and brother-in-law, do this?

"Once I confront Petunia," said Lily. "I'll make sure she and Vernon regret ever treating my son the way they did."

"You won't have to worry about that, Lily," assured Gabby. "I sent them a howler the other day!"

"Really?" asked Lily.

"Yes," said Gabby while smirking. "After Harry told me about his life with those people, I knew that a howler would be necessary, to make sure they would be brought to justice!"

"Thank you for helping out, Gabby!" said Lily.

"You're welcome, Lily, I'm glad I could help out." said Gabby.

"But dad," said Harry. "Will I have to revert you to being the head of House Potter?"

"No, son," assured James. "Since your unwilling placement in the tournament resulted in your emancipation, you'll still be the head of House Potter. I will be taking over as the head of House Peverell, also a most ancient and most noble house."

Harry nodded his head to show that he understood. Then Lily, James, Tom, Liliana and Serena went back to their beds in the hospital wing, so Madam Pomfrey could continue treating their malnourishments. Tori was also checked again, and was allowed to leave. Once she left, Tori started coming up with some ideas for her revenge against Draco, some that she'd like to share with Harry.

(Meanwhile, at Smeltings)

Dudley's gang members, Piers Polkiss, Dennis Reardon, Malcolm Landfree and Gordon McNickol were skipping school (they had been since Dudley had been called to the headmistress' office, and hadn't been seen since). This was because Dudley advised his friends not to follow him, just in case.

"Okay, I think it's safe to go back!" said Piers with overconfidence in his voice.

Then he, Dennis, Malcolm and Gordon began walking back to Smeltings Campus, only for some of the teachers to catch them. They instructed Dudley's gang to follow them to the headmistress' office, where they found some oddly-dressed people, with sticks pointed at them. Piers just laughed as if it was a joke.

"Very funny," he sneered. "Now, we have some..."

"You four are also expelled," informed the headmistress. "These people are here to arrest you for a countless number of assault and battery cases!"

"Against whom?" asked Piers rudely.

"Lord Harry James Potter," said a woman with bubble-gum pink hair. "Your leader, Dudley Dursley, had also been arrested for that. Now, it's your turn."

"The freak... a lord," said Piers. "How can that be?"

"His family is one of the most ancient and most noble houses in the wizarding world," stated Kingsley. "Now, you four, hands behind your back!"

Piers and the rest of Dudley's gang ignored that and tried to leave the office, only for the aurors to grab their arms, while some tried to place the four delinquents in handcuffs. Piers was the biggest problem, as he tried flailing his arms, which didn't work, and then he tried squirming away. He even tried to punch a couple aurors.

"Okay, Mr. Polkiss," said Kingsley. "You'll also be charged with resisting arrest, as well as assault and battery on an auror!"

Piers started his mock-crying act, something Dudley taught him, to get the aurors to stop, forseeably to no avail. The aurors shook their heads in disbelief at Piers attempts to throw a temper tantrum.

"That won't even work, Mr. Polkiss," warned Kingsley, who turned to the other three. "Now, you don't have anything to say, as it can and will be used as evidence against you in court!"

Once the aurors took the four ruffians away, Kingsley thanked the headmistress for her cooperation. She told him it was no trouble, and that she once heard of the wizarding world a few times, but she assured Kingsley that she wouldn't bring it up, and also stated that, with Dudley and his gang expelled, Smeltings will hopefully become a better place again. Then, Kingsley left Smeltings and headed back to the Ministry of Magic.

(Later on, back at Hogwarts)

Ron was looking around for Theodore and Marietta, as they didn't report to the rest of the Harry haters as to what was going on in the castle. Then Ron made the foolish attempt to walk up to the entrance, seemingly empty. As he reached the front doors, his feet somehow got stuck on the floor, then some noise went off, indicating his presence, much to Ron's horror. Then he saw Fred, George, Lee and Harry approach the door, with delightful grins on their faces.

"Well, well," said Fred (or George). "If it isn't Ickle Ronnykins..."

"Nice of you to stop by..." said George (or Fred).

"So you can face justice..." said Fred (or George).

"With expulsion, and likely getting arrested!" Fred and George finished.

"Wha... how... when..." Ron said, in a panicking voice. "I-I-I... d-d-d-d..."

"Yeah, Ronald," said Harry. "You just tripped some well-placed security wards, set up to make sure you and the rest of your group are the only ones who'll set them off upon approaching any entrance!"

Then professors McGonagall, Snape, Sprout and Flitwick came by. Professor McGonagall gave Ron a stern look, with her arms crossed. Ron gulped, knowing that there was no getting out of it anymore. Professor Snape looked gleeful at having spotted one of the students who had been snatching his potions ingredients, though Snape had no proof, he was determined to find the necessary proof that would get Ron expelled.

"Mr. Weasley, you're to follow me," insisted Professor McGonagall. "Your parents will be notified of this, and I doubt they'll be happy to hear!"

Ron was scared out of his wits. He didn't think a howler from his mother would be enough, especially with what he had been doing to Harry since Halloween. He also knew he was likely going to face being arrested for his actions. Professor McGonagall led him to an unused classroom, and saw Theodore and Marietta. Now he knew why they didn't report anything to the rest of the group, they had been caught. Ron also saw the classroom entrance having been set up with wards, so they couldn't escape. Professor McGonagall also insisted on Ron giving up his wand, then she left.

"Why are we here, instead of our respective heads of houses office?" asked Ron.

"Something about this being a request by Potter," said Marietta with distaste. "We could hear him telling the other professors that he wanted to show us and everyone else something, before we get arrested."

"I hope Draco does find Astoria," said Theodore. "He's mad at Potter for brainwashing her, Daphne and Tracey into turning us down, and maybe, Draco can talk the Greengrass sisters, and Tracey into abandoning Potter for our club."

"Yeah, as long as they don't come to any school entrance," said Ron. "I set off some security wards aimed to make sure the rest of the group are the only ones who can trip them."

"Damn," said Marietta. "None of the group members will be able to rescue us, added to the given fact that even if they tried, they'd still get caught."

"But at least there's a conjured restroom," said Theodore. "We still get meals, but not as much as everyone else. We just can't ask for seconds."

Ron couldn't believe that, as he enjoyed eating. Inwardly, he began screaming like a maniac. How could he have been so dumb to walk back to the castle? Were those stupid security wards necessary? Maybe he should've tried helping the others lure Potter into that trap earlier. Then again, even that might not have been good either. Was Potter really innocent of submitting his name into the goblet of fire? Was he, indeed telling the truth all along? He had no way of knowing for sure, but maybe it was true. All Ron could hope for was that Harry would forgive him, but that didn't seem likely.

 _To be continued!_

 **Author's note: Since Dennis, Malcolm and Gordon's last names were never mentioned in canon, I came up with some.**


	27. Chapter 27

_Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the rights for Harry Potter. I just won the fanfic and OCs. No copyright intended!_

Ch. 27

Draco's Last Stand

It was Monday the 27th. Professor McGonagall announced, at breakfast that classes would be postponed due to circumstances. Harry and his friends were relieved, since this would give them a chance to bring the other members of the anti-Potter club to justice. Tori whispered to Harry, and the rest of their group of friends a suitable prank for the ferret. Since she and Daphne had been informed, yesterday that the Malfoy Sr had been arrested for attempted line theft on the most ancient and most noble house of Potter, Tori wanted to make sure the ferret got a 'little message.' The more they talked it over, the more and more intrigued they were getting.

(Meanwhile, in Muggle London)

The teachers (former and current), as well as the headmistress of St. Grogery's Primary School were in a major turmoil, as well as Harry's former classmates. The Dursleys arrest hit the newspapers, and they were feeling ashamed of themselves, for not trying to help Harry. They realized too late that they shouldn't have accepted bribes, nor believed all the lies the Dursleys told them. Queen Elizabeth II was also reading the paper, and she was furious that a seemingly normal family would do this. She knew about the wizarding world ever since she became queen. She was even notified of Harry's disappearance on Halloween 1981. Queen Elizabeth II tried helping the Ministry of Magic locate Harry Potter for the last thirteen years or so, but they never found Harry. The more she read about how Harry was treated while living with the Dursleys, the angrier and angrier she got.

(Back at Hogwarts)

Harry and his friends went to the Room of Requirement to go over their prank against the ferret. Tori wanted it to be as humiliating for the arrogant ponce as possible, seeing that he never learned his lesson, even when she hexed him again and again for trying to take advantage of her, and for trying to help threaten her dad into agreeing with the marriage contract.

Harry's parents, sister, godsister, as well as Tom were advised by Madam Pomfrey to stay in the hospital wing a little longer, to check for any more ailments or illnesses. The real Professor Moody was also staying in the hospital wing, as he, too suffered from malnutrition as a result of his false imprisonment. The school governors were also informed of Albus' crimes, and they were appalled. They'd been trying to bring the school up to modern times and make it a better place, but Albus, over the years kept rejecting that, claiming that it was also for the Greater Good.

Just as Harry and his friends finished going over the plan, they left the Room of Requirement and started walking outside. They made it to the path to Hogsmeade, when they encountered a black dog that was seemingly a grim, which baffled Harry's friends.

"Hello, Snuffles!" Harry greeted with a smile.

Then the 'grim' transformed into Sirius. Harry gave Sirius a hug, then his friends introduced themselves to Sirius, and vice versa. Harry's friends even apologized for having been misled to believe he was the one who betrayed Lily and James. Harry even brought the Daily Prophet article mentioning Wormtail having been found and arrested with him and showed it to Sirius, who was even more happy.

"May I ask what you all are doing out here?" said Sirius. "You should be in classes."

"Professor McGonagall explained that classes were postponed," explained Harry. "But, right now, we're getting back at my enemies in the form of pranks. If you'd like to, you and Buckbeak can help out. Our next target is Draco Malfoy, and Buckbeak would be more than willing to help teach the ferret a harsh lesson."

"Of course!" said Sirius ecstatically.

"This one was Tori's idea." said Harry.

"I've been trying to get the ferret to learn his lesson," said Tori. "His dad threatened my dad into agreeing with a marriage contract, and the ferret has even been trying to take advantage of me, assuming I belonged to him. Maybe with this prank, he'll learn the hard way!"

"Don't worry, Tori," said Daphne. "This will be more than enough to humiliate the arrogant ponce."

So Tori went on to explain to Sirius the kind of prank she had in mind for Draco. Sirius grinned and laughed, especially when she came up with ideas for Buckbeak, and encouraged Sirius to use his animagus to his advantage for the prank. So they went to a part of the forest (not the forbidden forest) and began setting up booby traps, also using some charms and spells to allow the prank at having a higher chance to succeed. Meanwhile, Draco left the cave near the path to Hogsmeade to look for Ron, since he still hadn't returned and Hermione was worried that Ron might be trouble. While on his reconnaissance mission, Draco spotted Tori in a partial clearing of the forest, and started grinning mischievously, while walking toward her.

"Well hello, Astoria," said Draco. "I hope you've been thinking long and hard about joining our Anti-Potter club. You'll learn alot more than you think if you do!"

"No way, ferret," said Tori defiantly. "I'd rather stay on Harry's side!"

"Looks like Potter has been corrupting you, yet again," said Draco as he continued to slowly approach Tori. "And that is interfering with your job for preparing to be Lady Malfoy in the future!"

"That contract has been destroyed," said Tori. "And your foul git of a father was arrested the other day, my dad told me!"

"See, Potter has confunded you, I just know it," said Draco, ignoring Tori's statement, and began picking up the pace. "We'll get you away from Potter and teach him a lesson, once and for all!"

So Draco began jogging toward Tori, who turned around and started screaming, seemingly scared. But what Draco didn't know was that he was being lured into a trap. As soon as they heard Tori's screaming, Harry and the rest of his friends perked up.

"Okay, that's the signal," said Harry, motioning to his other friends to get into their spots. "They'll be here any minute now!"

Draco couldn't believe that Tori was able to outrun him, but nevertheless, he continued his pursuit. When Tori made it to the trees that had a vine tied to them, in the manner waiting for someone to trip over it, she went around it and over to the spot where Harry, Neville, Luna and Gabby were waiting, overlooking the vine. Then, a couple minutes later, Draco came jogging by, and then stopped upon spotting the vine.

"Nice try, Potter," said Draco. "Did you really think I'd fall for that?"

"Oh no," said Harry, placing his hands up in false defeat. "You really got us!"

"Now, kindly hand Astoria over, or you'll suffer the consequences!" said Draco.

"NO WAY!" Tori screamed at Malfoy, making the ferret cower a bit.

"If you want her, you'll have to make it over the vine." said Harry slyly.

"Gee, thanks Potter." said Draco.

So Draco backed up some, so he could jump over the vine and land on the other 'grassy' side. Then Draco ran and jumped over the vine. Then, as soon as his feet hit the 'grass,' Draco realized too late that an illusion charm was placed, and it disappeared once his feet touched the 'grass,' resulting in the arrogant fool into landing on a muddy hillside, causing Draco to slip and make his feet kick up into the air. Then he fell on the mud on his back, and began sliding down the hillside (which was created in the manner of a water slide), making the ferret scream like a shrieking baboon, resulting in Harry and his friends laughing (with Tori laughing harder than ever) and pointing as they watched the ferret continue to slide down the muddy hill. So Harry and his friends jogged down the hill and the ferret continued sliding down. Draco finally slid off the hill and landed into a pile of 'mud' on his back.

'Oh well,' thought Draco. 'At least it's mud...'

But, Draco smelled something bad (his face scrunching up and his nose wrinkling from the stench), looked down and saw that it wasn't mud he landed in, it was hippogriff excrement (which was charmed to be as big as him) and that made Draco scream like a toddler, while Harry and his friends laughed.

"That describes you well, ferret," taunted Tori, pointing her finger at Draco. "A shitbag!"

Then, Draco heard hoofsteps approaching him, then he looked up and saw Buckbeak.

"What's it to you, ugly brute?" Draco barked foolishly.

Then, Buckbeak screamed out at Draco as fiercely as possible, making the arrogant ponce cower in fear. Then Buckbeak walked a little ways from Draco and layed down.

"You're just worthless, you bloody chicken!" Draco taunted, followed by a snigger.

Buckbeak yelled out again, making Draco cower a second time. Then Buckbeak lifted one of his hind legs up and proceeded to urinate in Draco's face, which was coming out at jet speed. This made Draco splutter as he tried wiping the urine off himself. Harry and his friends laughed harder at Buckbeak's feat. Draco was enraged that he was not only covered in excrement, but also in urine.

"Another thing that describes you, Malfoy," Daphne taunted. "A pisspot!"

Then Draco stood up to walk away, only to meet a herd of five unicorn foals. Draco kicked dirt into the faces of two of the foals to get them to go away, which momentarily worked, as they ran away, scared, with the other foals running away as well. Draco continued to walk away, but then he saw the angry unicorn parents approaching him, making the ferret gulp nervously.

"Oh, we must've forgotten to tell you," Tracey yelled out, with defiance in her voice. "We came across some unicorns here, and we won their respect."

Draco was utterly terrified, then he attempted to run, with the angry unicorn parents proceeding to chase Draco, making him scream like a two-year-old, with Harry and his friends, _and_ the unicorn foals, following. As Draco ran, the unicorn parents slowed down some, to make Draco think he can outrun them. Then they picked up speed and managed to corner Draco by a rock ledge just as Harry and his friends, _and_ with the unicorn foals, caught up. The arrogant ponce began crying out in a pathetic attempt to get out of his predicament. Then the unicorn parents turned around, with their rears facing Draco, and began farting on Draco, causing the ferret to cough and wheeze from the stinky smell, followed by throwing up all over himself. This made Harry and his friends laugh again.

"Thats, yet another thing that describes you, Malfoy," Tori taunted. "A stinky pile of worn-out rags!"

Indeed, with Draco having landed in hippogriff excrement and having been urinated on by Buckbeak, he did look like a stinky pile of rags that looked all worn out, which was amplified when the unicorns farted on him. Draco spotted an apparently smooth pond out in the corner of his eye and decided to jump in and swim away. Draco found out too late that it wasn't smooth, because another illusion charm was placed, to hide the waterfall, and it was also a river, resulting in Draco sweeping away in the current, making the arrogant fool scream like a toddler again. A few minutes later, Draco spotted another waterfall and screamed again as he reached it and fell into the body of water below. Then, Draco tried to swim to shore and when he made it, he also saw professors McGonagall, Snape, Sprout, Flitwick and Hagrid walking by. They spotted the ferret, much to his horror, and walked over to confront Draco.

"Well, well, Mr. Malfoy," said Professor McGonagall sarcastically. "How nice of you to drop in. What have you got to say for yourself?"

"I... er... um... hmm... uh..." Draco stuttered, realizing he was in serious trouble.

"I see," said Professor McGonagall. "You're to follow us!"

"You'll need to get yourself cleaned up, Mr. Malfoy!" said Professor Snape. "You will also be facing expulsion... eventually!"

Draco gulped nervously, especially when he saw that his own head of house now hated him. Snape didn't want any Slytherins like Draco to do what he did.

"Students like you are a disgrace, Mr. Malfoy," Professor Snape went on. "Especially other Slytherins like you, and I won't accept the kind of behaviour you've been showing in the house of Slytherin."

So the four heads of house escorted Draco back to the castle. Hagrid happened to spot a familiar hippogriff flying down landing by him. Then Hagrid saw Sirius get off, with Harry and who Hagrid guessed was his girlfriend, having spotted them hold hands.

"Hagrid, it's nice to see you again," said Sirius. "I also thought you'd like to see Buckbeak again."

"Of course," said Hagrid. "I'm sorry for thinking of you as a traitor and all that."

"Don't worry, Hagrid," said Sirius. "That was all the old coot's doing."

"That's why I don't trust Albus anymore," said Hagrid, then he approached Buckbeak. "Hi Beaky, I missed you!"

Meanwhile, Draco got himself cleaned up, then Professor McGonagall instructed him to follow her. Then, she led Draco to the unused classroom where Ron, Theodore and Marietta were being kept.

"What happened, Draco?" asked Theodore.

"Potter," Draco growled. "He confunded my girl to help prank me heavily. I slipped and slid down a muddy hill, landed in a pile of hippogriff excrement, urinated on by that Buckbeak, then a couple of unicorns chased me and cornered me, then they farted on me, which forced me into jumping into a pond that turned out to be a river, making me sweep away and down a waterfall, then I swam to shore, and worst of all, got spotted by Professors Snape, McGonagall, Flitwick and Sprout."

"Dang," said Ron. "So far, the four of us have been caught red-handed. But don't count on the other members coming to our rescue, yesterday I tripped some security wards that Potter helped set up with my twin brothers!"

"We really are screwed," Draco realized. "Let's just hope Potter is lenient on us."

"Somehow, I don't think it's gonna turn out that way." said Marietta hesitantly.

Meanwhile, Harry and his friends made it back to the castle. Before lunchtime, Harry and Gabby asked Sirius to follow them to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey allowed them in, and when the doors opened, Sirius gasped in shock when he saw Lily and James.

"J-J-James, Lily?" Sirius stuttered.

"Sirius, it's great to see you again," said James. "We missed you!"

Sirius hugged Lily and James, with tears of joy. He even saw their daughter, which made him smile. Then Sirius saw his daughter, Serena get up and walk to him.

"Daddy?!" said Serena.

"Oh Serena," said Sirius, bursting into tears and hugging his daughter, and she hugged him back. "I'm glad you're safe and alright!"

Harry and Gabby felt tears shedding, seeing Sirius and Serena reunite. Sirius even hugged Lilana, also relieved she was safe and sound. James and Lily also shedded tears while watching Sirius reuniting with his daughter.

(Meanwhile, in the cave near the path to Hogsmeade)

The rest of the Harry haters were panicking. First, Ron didn't return, nor did Draco ever come back. They didn't want to think of the worst that could've happened to them.

"I just hope they make it back soon," said Susan, tensing up. "Of all the times Ron said that failure isn't an option."

"We must keep trying," said Hannah. "Maybe they will come back."

"If Potter is somehow behind this," Hermione ranted. "I'll give him a few choice of words the next time I confront him. He'll be sorry to have screamed all of those lies at me.. _especially_ at the top of his lungs!"

"Yeah," agreed Seamus. "Since Potter enjoys confunding anybody for all of that attention, he needs to be stopped at all costs."

Pansy still couldn't leave their magical makeshift sleeping quarters. She was petrified with fright at the thought of inevitably facing justice. She knew that, despite feeling remorse, it wouldn't change for what she and the others have been doing. It was also making her come to terms that she had to be responsible for her actions. Little did they know, that their reign of terror was almost coming to an end.

 _To be continued!_

 **Author's note: 'dannyrockon122' also came up with the idea of Harry's former classmates, teachers and headmistress finding out about how his life was like all along. More explanations for that will be in a future chapter.**


	28. Chapter 28

_Disclaimer: No copyright intended! J.K. Rowling owns the Harry Potter franchise. I just own the fanfic and OCs._

Ch. 28

The Prank Wars Continue

After lunch, Harry and his friends went outside, hoping they can look for more members of the Anti-Potter club and prank them. They couldn't stop laughing at the prank Tori suggested for Malfoy, the bouncing ferret. They spotted Susan and Hannah over by the Black Lake shore. Knowing exactly what they were doing, Harry and his friends got ready for another prank. This time, Daphne whispered it to Harry, in which he grinned. Harry also whispered to Daphne what else could make the plan work. Once that was done, Daphne advised the rest of their group to follow her, so they can alert Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout. Harry began walking toward Susan and Hannah. Hannah was the first to notice Harry, and she tapped on Susan's shoulder, and she, too, started facing Harry with hatred in their eyes.

"Well, well," sneered Hannah. "What do we have here? Looks like the show-off is looking for fame and glory, yet again. Am I right or am I right?"

"You know," said Harry, pretending to surrender. "You were right, and I was wrong. I should've just told the truth!"

"See, Potter," said Susan, with some contempt in her voice. "Was it really that hard, to just tell the truth?"

"No it wasn't, and I should have," said Harry, using reverse psychology. "I also shouldn't have tried overshadowing Cedric."

"Doesn't that make you a better person?" asked Hannah. "When you admit that you're wrong, people respect you more?"

"Yes," said Harry, laughing inwardly. Then he saw professors McGonagall and Sprout walking up behind Susan and Hannah. "And it feels good!"

"Yes," said Susan. "Now, if you'd just tell everybody the truth, then they'd get off your back."

"Of course," said Harry, who saw professors Sprout and McGonagall facing the two bound-to-be former Hufflepuffs. "And you've got some special guests, waiting for you!"

Susan and Hannah turned around and to their horror, they saw their head of house, and the deputy headmistress, eyeing them sternly, with their arms crossed.

"H-H-Hel-l-l-ooooooo, professor," said Susan nervously. "I'm surprised to see you here!"

"Y-Y-Yeah, m-m-me, t-tooooo!" said Hannah, who was getting scared.

Professor Sprout was beyond furious, especially with Susan.

"DO THE TWO OF YOU CARE TO EXPLAIN WHAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING EVER SINCE THE MORNING AFTER THE YULE BALL?!" shouted Professor Sprout.

"Uh... I... um..." Hannah stuttered.

"We... uh... well..." said Susan nervously.

"I see," said Professor Sprout, who started yelling at the two, terrified Hufflepuff students. "THIS BEHAVIOUR OF YOURS HAS BEEN... JUST... DISGRACEFUL! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU TWO WOULD BE PART OF A GROUP, JUST TO HELP FORCE MR. POTTER INTO LEAVING THE SCHOOL! WHAT HAVE YOU TWO GOT TO SAY FOR YOURSELVES?"

Susan and Hannah found themselves unable to say anything, despite trying to say something. They could tell that there was no getting out of what their fate could be.

"You two," Professor McGonagall instructed Susan and Hannah. "Follow me."

Susan and Hannah nodded in understanding, and followed Professors McGonagall and Sprout. Unknown to them, Hermione was eyeing them from a hiding spot. She was getting mad at Harry. She vowed to deal with him tomorrow and started sneaking back to the cave where the rest of the Harry haters were, to notify them what had happened.

Susan and Hannah followed McGonagall and Sprout over to an unused classroom, ordered them in, and closed the door. Susan and Hannah noticed that the classroom was also warded, and they also saw Theodore, Marietta, Ron and Draco. They now realized why Ron and Draco never returned to the cave.

"Nobody else in the group can help," said Marietta. "The school entrances have security wards."

"Yeah," said Ron. "I tripped them the other day."

"Before I was ordered to come here," said Draco. "Potter confunded my girl to help pull a nasty prank on me. It started with a vine tied to a couple trees, which I tried jumping over to avoid getting tripped. But that turned out to be a 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' trick, and the grassy part on the other side was an illusion charm, causing me to land on the mud and make slide down a muddy hill. Then, I landed in hippogriff excrement, then that Buckbeak urinated on me, and a couple unicorns chased me, cornered me, turned around and farted on me. Then I tried to escape by jumping into what looked like a pond, but it was another illusion charm, making me realize too late that it was really a river that swept me away in the current, then I reached another waterfall, fell off into another body of water below. Then I swam to shore, where McGonagall, Snape, Sprout, Flitwick, and that Hagrid spotted me, and ordered me to follow them. That's how I ended up here."

"Dang," said Hannah. "That must've smelled awful."

"Now, all we have to do is hope Potter will be lenient on us," said Ron. "Which doesn't seem likely."

"Not to mention that I'm bound to face my aunt's wrath," said Susan, terrified. "You don't want to be on the receiving end of her screams, and I should've remembered that before doing all of this!"

(Meanwhile, at the Burrow)

Molly was knitting some sweaters when she saw a school owl deliver a letter. She went to relieve the owl of it's burden, which took the skies after that, then Molly opened the letter, which was from Professor McGonagall, and it read:

 _Dear Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,_

 _Your son, Ronald has been caught and is currently in an unused classroom, awaiting his fate with several others. Two other students had been acting as lookouts, allowing Ronald and the rest of his group of Harry haters to elude punishment. Several more students, including Miss Granger, are still on the loose. I also sent a letter to her parents, letting them know what was going on._

 _Yours Sincerely,_

 _Professor M. McGonagall_

 _Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

As if Molly wasn't furious enough, she was enraged further. She couldn't believe what Ron was doing, she didn't raise him this way, but yet, he let his jealousy get in the way. Arthur was at work when he, too, received a letter from Professor McGonagall. Upon reading it, he was embarrassed and furious with Ron. What did Ronald get himself into, and would he treat Harry this way? He knew Ron knew Harry hated all of that fame and glory, but still, Ronald let his jealousy get in the way.

(Back at Hogwarts)

Harry and his friends walked back into the castle, happy that Susan and Hannah were reprimanded. Tori walked to Harry and gave him a great, big hug, with Harry returning it.

"I thought this would be a proper way to thank you, Harry," said Tori. "For letting my idea of pranking the ferret happening!"

"You're welcome, Tori," said Harry. "I don't think I laughed that hard before. Hopefully I didn't bruise a rib doing so."

"The way he slipped, with his feet kicking into the air like that," said Gabby, giggling. "That one was too priceless."

"It was enough to make me cough a little," said Daphne. "But, it was well worth it!"

Soon, it was dinnertime, Harry and Gabby entered the Great Hall, hand in hand. Neville and Luna also came in, hand in hand. Harry also saw Viktor and Ginny holding hands.

"Are you and Viktor, finally...?" asked Harry.

"Yep, we're finally dating," said Ginny ecstatically. "Our interest in professional Quidditch allowed our bond to strengthen.

"It did," said Viktor. "I did ask Ginny if she would be interested in visiting me sometime this summer, as long as her parents are fine with it, after I meet them!"

"Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are good people," Harry assured Viktor. "I think they'll approve!"

All of a sudden, there was some commotion outside the Great Hall, so Harry and his friends went to investigate, and they saw Angelina was throwing a temper tantrum and screaming, with Professor McGonagall coming out and scolding her. When Angelina refused to settle down, she was ordered to go to McGonagall's office. Fred and George had smiles on their faces, and so did Lee.

"What happened?" asked Harry.

"We told Angelina, Alicia and Katie that they were kicked off of the quidditch team," said Fred and George in unison. "Alicia and Katie accepted it, but Angelina refused, saying that she was interested in playing professional quidditch, and that getting kicked off was so unfair."

"It was her own fault," said Harry. "If she hadn't turned her back on me, she wouldn't have been in that predicament."

"Pretty much," agreed Lee. "Angelina is gonna be in even more trouble, now!"

"Yeah," said Harry. "I'm surprised Katie and Alicia accepted it!"

"They admitted that they didn't deserve it anymore," said Lee. "They realized too late that you had been truthful about your innocense of putting your name into that goblet!"

"But it's too late for them to apologize." said Harry. "Even Wood in his howler said so!"

"This will give Ginny a better chance for professional quidditch," said Fred and George. "Maybe she might be on Viktor's team, if they both make it!"

So they all went back into the Great Hall for dinner. All too soon, it was time for everybody to get some shut-eye. Harry went back to the classroom he had been using since being exiled from Gryffindor Tower unjustly, but Harry no longer cared. His dreams were filled with a certain blue-eyed, platinum blonde-haired girl named Gabrielle Delacour. Likewise, she was having dreams filled with a certain emerald-green eyed, raven-haired boy named Harry Potter.

(The next morning, after breakfast)

Harry and his friends went outside and split up, in an attempt to find anymore Harry haters with more ease. Fred, George and Lee were close by Harry, making it look like Harry was alone, hoping to lure anymore members of the Anti-Potter club, which worked, as Seamus, Lavender and Parvati walked up to Harry to 'confront' him.

"How nice of you to drop by!" said Harry sarcastically.

"If only you weren't..." said Seamus.

"Don't... even... say... it!" said Harry through gritted teeth.

"Why shouldn't he?" sneered Lavender.

"Yeah," taunted Parvati. "You're not his boss, Potter!"

"Cause, you all are in enough trouble already," warned Harry. "Now, time for..."

"Alright, where are all the other members of our club?" demanded Seamus.

"Like I would even tell you!" said Harry coldly.

"Why, you, little..." said Seamus.

All of a sudden, Seamus felt the urge to sneeze, so he covered his mouth with his hands and sneezed. As soon as he sneezed, his clothes suddenly disappeared, except for his boxers, which turned from red and gold stripes to bright pink with white polka dots, much to Seamus' embarrassment, making him scream and cover his boxers with his arms and hands. What neither Seamus, Lavender, nor Parvati realized was that Fred, George and Lee were casting those spells, while Harry knew Fred, George and Lee were the ones casting the sneezing and clothing disappearance charms

"Alright, that's it, Potter!" said Lavender as she approached Harry, intending to smack him in the face.

But she didn't even make it two steps, she, too felt the urge to sneeze. Upon sneezing, Lavendar's clothes disappeared, with only her bra and knickers, both of which were white with red hearts. This also made Lavender cover her bra and knickers with her arms and hands. Parvati also tried to walk toward Harry, also to smack him in the face. She, too didn't make it two steps, also getting the urge to sneeze. Parvati sneezed, which also made her clothes disappear, minus her bra and knickers, both of which were purple. Parvati also covered her bra and knickers with her arms and hands. Harry decided on casting a spell on Seamus, which made him jump up and down to the 'YMCA' dance.

"It's time to stay at the... Y M C A!" sang Seamus as he jumped up while making the YMCA signs with his arms and hands, and doing so continuously. "It's time to stay at the... Y M C A!"

Fred and George made sure to get pictures of Seamus doing what he was doing. Colin allowed them to borrow his camera for the prank. Harry also cast a spell on Lavender to make her sing "I'm A Little Teapot" while pretending to be a teapot as part of the dance for the song, and it was cast for her to do so repeatedly. Parvati was cast with a spell to make her do disco dances and, for more laughs, do so to the first two bars to the Bee Gees song, Stayin' Alive:

 _Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk,_

 _I'm a woman's man. No time to talk._

Parvati was also forced to do so as if it was in an endless loop, like the pictures in the Daily Prophet that were charmed to play in an endless loop. Fred, George and Lee walked up to the three Gryffindor prank victims. They got an individual picture of Seamus doing his dance, then they got one with Lavender doing her's, and then one of Parvati and her dance. Then, they got a group picture of the three, doing their respective dances in their underwear (and bras with Lavender and Parvati). Once they were finished, Fred, George, Lee and Harry cast 'finite incantantum' on Seamus, Lavender and Parvati. This forced the three into running off, heavily embarrassed. In their panic, they forgot to avoid running up to the castle, and they were caught by Professor McGonagall, and she ordered the three to follow her.

"We'll need to make copies of those," said Harry. "The rest of our friends are gonna howling with laughter!"

"Yeah," said Lee with glee. "Fred, George and I discovered a spell a few weeks ago, which will allow the picture to play the music those three were dancing to!"

"Let's back to the Room of Requirement," said Harry. "The sooner those pics are developed, the better!"

"We should make some play them forward, _and_ backwards!" suggested Fred and George.

"Great idea!" said Harry and Lee in unison.

So they made a beeline for the Room of Requirement, so they could give the camera to Colin and Dennis, then they could get the pictures developed and Colin gave Harry another roll of film, for more pranks involving pictures. Then Harry, Fred, George and Lee ran back outside, so they could help find any more Harry haters to prank. Then they spotted four more Anti-Potter club members, Ravenclaws Anthony Goldtsein and Padma Patil, accompanied Hufflepuffs Ernie MacMillan and Megan Jones. Harry whispered to Fred, George and Lee another prank idea, which made them laugh. Then Harry approached Anthony, Padma, Ernie and Megan, pretending to have made a wrong turn.

"You know, Hermione is mad, Potter," sneered Padma. "She believes that you are responsible for the disappearances of our other members."

"Too bad she has no proof," said Harry, sneering back. "You know what they say: innocent until proven guilty."

"But, she has a gut feeling that it's you," said Ernie, followed by a taunt. "She will deal with you first chance she gets!"

"Well, am I surprised!" said Harry sarcastically.

So Anthony, Padma, Ernie and Megan drew their wands at Harry, who started pretending to be intimidated, which was the signal for Fred, George and Lee. They aimed their wands at the four members of the Anti-Potter club and cast some charms on them. Megan's clothes disappeared and were replaced with a pink shirt, nappies, a bib with unicorns on it, a pink bonnet, and purple socks, making Megan cover his nappies, then a rattle appeared in her hand, followed by a purple pacifier. Likewise, Padma's clothes also disappeared, and were also replaced with a purple shirt, also in nappies, pink socks, a purple bonnet, followed by a pink pacifier, a bib with hippogriffs, and a rattle appeared in her hand as well. When Padma and Megan tried taking their respective pacifiers out, they began speaking in baby talk, forcing them to put their pacifiers back into their mouths. Then they found themselves crawling like babies. Anthony and Ernie were shocked while Harry was trying to keep a straight face with little use, trying to hold in his laughter.

Fred, George and Lee nodded to one another, as if to say that they should take it up a notch, so more spells were cast, and Anthony and Ernie found their clothes having been transformed into nanny clothes. Then Ernie was forced to pick Megan up and cradle her, then he started rocking her back and forth while singing 'Rock-A-Bye-Baby' to her. Likewise, Anthony was forced to pick Padma up and bottle feed her, much to Padma's embarrassment. Then Anthony readjusted her so he could pat Padma's back in the manner of trying to make her burp. Fred, George and Lee made sure to get pictures of the ordeal, and Harry was laughing so hard that he had to hold onto a tree branch to keep standing.

Then Padma and Megan's respective pacifiers disappeared, and they were forced to speak in baby talk, this time in babys' voices, and they also started crying, while pounding their fists into the ground and swinging their legs repeatedly, as if they needed a nappy change. Then, Ernie and Anthony began changing Megan's and Padma's respective nappies. Again, Fred, George and Lee got pictures, while laughing so hard tears were flowing out. Then, Ernie and Anthony found their nanny clothes disappeared and, to their horror, replaced with briefs, with Ernie having his briefs covered in superman designs while Anthony's briefs had spider man on them. This forced them to cover themselves. Once again, Fred, George and Lee got pictures. Once they were done, 'finite incantantum' was cast again. Anthony, Ernie, Padma and Megan were too embarrassed to speak, and they ran away, with Anthony and Ernie screaming mad, while Megan and Padma began crying. They, too were caught by their respective heads of houses and taken to the unused classroom that had the majority of their other Anti-Potter club members.

Then Harry, Fred, George and Lee ran back to the Room of Requirement to get more of the pictures developed. The picture with Seamus, Lavender and Parvati doing their dance in their underwear were done, and Fred, George and Lee started casting spells on the individual pictures. The picture of Seamus doing the YMCA dance and singing it in a loop would play sound if the picture was tapped three times with a wand in the bottom left-hand corner. Likewise, the picture of Lavender pretending to be a teapot, while singing I'm a Little Teapot would also play in a loop, with the sound playing if the bottom left hand corner was tapped with a wand three times. The picture with Parvati doing the disco dance to the first two lines of Stayin' Alive was also done, but the song would always start with the first bar, since Parvati didn't sing to the song. Then Harry, Fred, George and Lee helped develop the pictures with Anthony, Ernie, Megan and Padma. They managed to finish up when the others made it back to the Room of Requirement. Upon seeing the pictures, they all just started laughing in hysterics.

Fred and George were going over the list of the Anti-Potter club members and checked-off the names of the students who had been caught. Marietta and Theodore were the first, even though they were acting as lookouts, then Ron, Draco, followed by Susan and Hannah, then Seamus, Lavender and Parvati, and most recently, Anthony, Ernie, Megan and Padma. Now all who was left was Hermione, of course, along with Pansy, Justin, Crabbe, Goyle, Mandy, and Michael.

(Back in the cave near the path to Hogsmeade)

The rest of the Harry haters were becoming more and more terrified. What in the world was going on, and why have more and more of the other members been leaving and not coming back? How could their plan continue to fail? They were sure it wasn't supposed to happen that way, Ron said failure isn't an option. Now, their plan was failing more and more. While none of the remaining members wanted to acknowledge it, their plans were just about to come full circle.

 _To be continued!_


	29. Chapter 29

_Disclaimer: As usually mentioned, no copyright intended! I just own the fanfic and OCs. J.K. Rowling is the owner of Harry Potter._

 **Warning: The 'F' bomb will be dropped repeatedly in this chapter, followed by viciousness at the end of the chapter, so reader's discretion is advised!**

Ch. 29

Hermione's True Colours

After Harry and his friends finished laughing over the pictures they took and developed, they went back outside. They were so close to succeeding in bringing the Harry haters to justice.

"The last time Gabby, Kassandra and myself saw Granger," Harry mentioned. "Was over by another part of the Black Lake shore. That was before the second task. That day, I yelled at Hermione when she accused me of cheating my way to the top. What I yelled at Granger was her bullying, and know-it-all demeanour and how she bullied anybody for beating her to the punch when asked questions in lessons."

"Yeah," said Kassandra. "Harry was _pissed_ at Granger. She needed that screaming!"

"Too bad she didn't accept it," said Gabby. "Even with Harry yelling at her, she still didn't seem to wanna accept the truth."

So Harry and his friends went to the Black Lake, to find any leads where the Harry hating students' hideout could be. They knew the occasional run-ins were around either the Black Lake or in Hogsmeade. As they were investigating, they heard some footsteps approaching, so they turned their attention to the sound of the footsteps and saw that it was Hermione and she looked furious (her glare and seething was proving it).

"What is it?" asked Harry.

"I'll tell you," said Hermione rudely. "You've been causing disappearances for the majority of the Anti-Potter club."

"They've been caught red-handed!" stated Harry.

"Yeah, very fucking funny, Potter," said Hermione. "Do you expect me to believe that fucking nonsense?"

"No," said Harry. "But, it is the truth after all."

"That's fucking bullshit, Potter," snarled Hermione. "Now, you'd better tell me where the hell they are, or I will hex the fuck out of you all the way to Timbuktu!"

"You've lost it, Granger." said Daphne angrily.

"Fuck you, Greengrass, fuck you!" growled Hermione.

"I think somebody needs to take a nap!" taunted Tori.

"SHUT UP, YOU FUCKING BITCH!" snapped Hermione, ignoring Tori's glare.

"Honestly Granger, what's your stupid problem?" said Harry.

"You know fucking well what, Potter," shouted Hermione. "NOW DON'T PLAY FUCKING DUMB WITH ME!"

"I think I know what it is," said Harry, acting like he just remembered something. "It's because you place too much trust in authority without question. You also can't accept that you're not as smart as you claim. Otherwise, you would've been by my side when my name came out of that wretched goblet that resulted in me being treated like dirt."

"Because you deserve it, you fucking prat!" snapped Hermione. "You just wanted more money and fame, for the fucking sake of your stupid alter _ego!_ "

"Then you really aren't all that smart," said Harry. "You didn't know me as well as you assumed!"

Hermione tried to smack Harry in the face, only to receive a stinging hex from Gabby, who started eyeing the insufferable know-it-all with an annoying look.

"OUCH," said Hermione, grasping her hand in pain and glaring at Gabby. "YOU BIMBO, WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR?"

"You know perfectly well what, Granger!" snapped Gabby.

"You'd better change that attitude now, Granger," warned Fleur in a dangerous voice. "You harm my sister, and you'll be seeing stars go around!"

"Ha, like you could even fucking do that," said Hermione arrogantly, as she turned toward Fleur. "You ain't worth shit to be the Beauxbatons champion!"

Fleur gave Hermione the middle finger in retaliation. Hermione tried stomping over to Fleur, but then, Harry sent a stinging hex to the arrogant, bushy-haired female, making her wince in pain.

"Alright, Potter, you wanna play rough, huh?" said Hermione in overconfidence.

"You won't last even half a minute, Granger," warned Harry, with his friends keeping a close watch on the bossy, know-it-all. "Trying to take on all of us at once."

"Yeah, Granger," said Tracey. "Doing so will be the biggest mistake in your life!"

"What made you think helping to set up fake documents was okay, Granger?" said Harry.

"It was the perfect plan to enslave you," bragged Hermione. "It would also be fail-proof, despite Pansy's claims that it never would work!"

"Well, It was bound to... wait, what do you mean that Pansy said it wouldn't work?" asked Harry suspiciously.

"Those fake documents were all my idea," Hermione boasted proudly. "Pansy was a hard one to deal with. I 'promised' her power, and an eventual marriage contract to you, Potter! Then, I would secretly put memory charms on her, so nobody would get suspicious, and thus, making her take all the blame!"

Unknown to Hermione, Pansy had managed to sneak out of the cave. She was listening in on Hermione, and was becoming more and more horrified. She eventually broke herself free from Hermione's memory charms.

"None of the other members of the Anti-Potter club needed to be compelled, they joined in on their free will," said Hermione overconfidently. "Pansy actually believed that lie of you claiming you didn't enter your name for the tournament. I even made sure that she sent that stupid Gabrielle that howler instead of me!"

Harry and his friends gasped in shock when they realized that Pansy wasn't part of the Anti-Potter club at all. Harry remembered when she got spankings from Winky and Missy, and now he was feeling guilty that she had to go through that. Harry now knew that Hermione was the one who really deserved that. From her hiding spot, Pansy was becoming more and more outraged at Hermione. Gabby, too, was feeling guilty for smacking Pansy in the face that day.

"Pansy, while under the influence of the manipulation potions," Hermione boasted. "She was forced into taking the blame for all of those crimes I committed. In fact, the love potions wasn't her idea, as I said, it was mine, but I placed a memory charm on her, so she could take the blame, and then, I would have her tossed into Azkaban, since everyone would believe she did all that."

"What about that day when Pansy smacked me in the face three times in a row?" asked Harry, becoming more and more suspicious. "Was that also your doing?"

"Nice guess, Potter," said Hermione sneeringly. "In fact, all of those times you got smacked in the face, was also my idea, not Ron's. In order to ensure that you wouldn't retaliate in any way, I instructed all of the members of the club to take Felix Felicis, also known as liquid luck. Thus giving me and the rest of my club members the upper hand on trying to ruin your reputation!"

"YOU STUPID CUNT!" yelled Gabby, with her anger toward Hermione getting worse.

"What about those love potions?" said Harry, trying to keep his temper in check.

"Even those were my idea, like I said," Hermione boasted once more. "Those love potions were Amortentia. I intended to use those on you, Potter and on Krum."

"Why?" asked Viktor, hardly believing his ears.

"To ruin Potter's reputation," said Hermione arrogantly. "And also to ruin yours, so you'd lose your position on your international quidditch team!"

Ginny walked up to Hermione, with a glare, sucker punched the bushy haired female and yelled: "You ugly bint, you're nothing but a worthless, pathetic, and ruthless piece of shit. How dare you!!"

Harry couldn't believe what all Hermione was telling him. As he remembered getting smacked in the face by either Hermione, or Susan, Hannah, or even Lavender, he got angrier that Hermione would instruct them to take Felix Felicis, to make sure he wouldn't retaliate in any way. Pansy was even more enraged that she had been under memory charms, and the influence of manipulation potions.

"That's right, Potter," Hermione boasted, with an evil grin, as soon as she recovered. "I'm the leader of the Anti-Potter club, not Ron! Pansy even told me about your stupid house elves giving her spankings. Of course, she was forced to endure that, in my place!"

Harry and his friends felt remorse for having Pansy go through what all Hermione, in truth, should've been receiving. Just then, a familiar Slytherin student came by. Harry and his Hogwarts friends recognized the Slytherin as Miles Bletchley, a sixth-year Slytherin student who was the keeper on the Slytherin Quidditch team.

"Hello, Potter," said Bletchley sneeringly. "Hermione and I have been secretly dating since before the Quidditch World Cup!"

Then, Bletchley and Hermione started kissing each other passionately, resulting in even greater shock for Harry and his friends. Pansy had enough, so she sneaked away to alert Professor Snape as to what all was happening.

"But," said Harry. "How did you avoid Snape's wrath?"

"Let's just say I've sneaking around," bragged Bletchley, as soon as he finished kissing Hermione. "I've had a crush on Hermione ever since last year, so I've been skipping classes, too. Hermione's been the best thing that has _ever_ happened to me! Pansy being part of the Anti-Potter club was a disguise to make sure nobody got suspicious that I've been in the club all along!"

"So, even Rita slandering me, was all Granger's idea?" said Harry.

"Yes," said Hermione. "She enjoys slandering you, Potter. I even made sure that she continues to do so."

"But, she's been fired," said Harry. "Even if she doesn't know it, yet!"

"But, it won't fucking matter, Potter," claimed Hermione. "Your reputation has been ruined!"

"I actually own a little share of the Daily Prophet!" said Harry. "I managed to set everything right!"

"Granger, if you've been ordering your club members to take Felix Felicis," said Daphne. "How was Harry able to dodge your slap, and accidentally make you slap my sister?"

"I forgot to take the potion myself," said Hermione. "I was so ecstatic to have Pansy take the blame for it, that I simply forgot!"

"YOU LITTLE BITCH!" screamed Tori. "HOW COULD YOU MAKE POOR HARRY GO THROUGH THAT?"

"YEAH, GRANGER?" shouted Harry's friends.

"For being a big, fucking show-off!" claimed Hermione, who didn't feel any remorse.

"You... stupid... ugly... BINT!" yelled Ginny.

"But, why would you put Pansy through all of that?" asked Tracey.

"She's among a few girls who's had a genuine crush on Harry," Hermione bragged again. "I overheard her say so, and I knew she needed to be stopped, so Potter's reputation could be ruined! I would've tried having the ice queen be under the influence of those potions, but I figured it wasn't necessary, so I cheated my way to the top by copying her answers from her assignments, using a charm that revealed her answers!"

"Oh, you are... so... dead, Granger!" snarled Daphne, fixing her famous ice princess glare on Hermione.

"Well, your reign of terror is finally over, Granger!" said Harry.

"And what makes you think so?" asked Hermione with a sneer.

"Because," said Harry, who looked up and saw Professor Snape walking toward Hermione and Bletchley. "Professor Snape is coming this way."

"The potions teacher who couldn't teach worth a fucking shit," said Hermione, followed by an evil laugh. "He's not even a smidgeon of any teacher!"

"He's right behind you now." said Harry, who started backing away as the potions master started getting more and more enraged.

"You think I'd fall for that?" said Hermione, oblivious that Harry was telling the truth. "The greasy haired git who has no consideration for others. That makes him a fucking asshole, and even to sneer at people, particularly other students, and sabotage their fucking efforts."

"Granger, you'd better stop!" warned Daphne.

"And somebody who enjoys taking points away for even the most unusual and minor infractions," said Hermione overconfidently. "Snape really is a fucking, arrogant, piece of shit!"

"Well, well, Granger." said Professor Snape.

"Oh, h-h-hiii, professor," said Hermione as she and Bletchley turned around. "I-I d-didn't see you, there!"

"I told you so, Granger!" said Harry.

Hermione and Bletchley smiled nervously, as if to say that it's not as bad as it looks. Professor Snape saw through that immediately. Pansy was also walking by, glaring at Hermione and Bletchley.

"It's over, Granger!" said Pansy angrily.

"You... you..." said Hermione, outraged at Pansy. "You... how... how could you... snitch on me?"

Hermione was so mad that she stamped her foot on the ground, and the force of that caused a notebook to fall out of her Hogwarts robes. Harry picked it up and handed it to Professor Snape.

"Well, well, Granger," sneered Professor Snape. "Why don't I read you a little... bedtime story!"

So Snape opened the notebook and started reading it, getting more and more excited as he read more and more.

"Hmm, interesting reading material, Granger," said Snape sarcastically, then he continued reading in a normal tone. "Manipulation potions, to ensure Miss Parkinson would take all the blame for you, and to ensure that Mr. Bletchley's involvement in the club would stay hidden. Amortentia, to ensure that Mr. Potter's and Mr. Krum's reputations are destroyed, so Bletchley can declare them as a girlfriend stealer?"

Hermione and Bletchley were getting more and more nervous, knowing that the more Snape found out, the bigger their punishments were going to be.

"Berserk potions," Snape read on. "To... make sure everybody would scare Mr. Potter off and leave him all alone, tsk tsk tsk. Hate potions, to make sure Mr. Potter's real friends would 'hate' him to the point of abandoning him?" (Then he turned a page). Felix Felicis, to make sure the Anti-Potter club members would smack Mr. Potter across the face and make him run away in anger, and to make sure none of Mr. Potter's friends would help him in any way?"

Harry and his friends glared at Hermione and Bletchley the whole time Snape was reading the information in Hermione's notebook.

"Huh, you and your club's first base of operation... was in a girl's lavatory," Snape continued. "On the second floor? Now, in a cave near the path... to Hogsmeade?" Then Snape pointed his wand at the notebook and chanted: "Point me!"

Then Snape followed the spells directions to where the cave was located. Harry and his friends followed Snape, just in case he needed help. Five to ten minutes later, they reached the cave, then Snape opened the door, catching the other members red-handed. Justin, Mandy, Michael, Crabbe, and Goyle stopped, dead in their tracks when they saw Professor Snape, accompanied by Harry and his friends, along with Pansy. Justin, Mandy, Michael, Crabbe and Goyle were terrified that they had finally been caught. Snape investigated the cave and saw the cauldrons with potions currently in the brewing process. Then he spotted the stolen ingredients that haven't been used yet, then he went into the sleeping quarters, and finally found a room that had chairs and shackles.

"Miss Granger, what was this room with these chairs and shackles, supposed to be used for?" asked Snape adamently.

Hermione refused to answer that question, despite knowing that she was screwed either way.

"She and the other Anti-Potter club members intended to use it for keeping Harry and his friends under false imprisonment!" Pansy revealed. "I heard Granger discussing it with them!"

Hermione glared at Pansy. The other Anti-Potter club members were nervous.

"For what reason, Granger?" asked Snape in a no-nonsense voice.

Again, Hermione refused to answer, continuing to glare at Pansy.

"She said it was to keep Harry and his friends out of the way," Pansy continued. "That way, she and the other Anti-Potter club members could continue getting away with their actions!"

"Miss Granger," said Professor Snape. "How could you?"

"She even cheated off of my homework since first year," said Daphne. "She bragged about using an answer revealing charm shortly before you came by, professor!"

Hermione turned her glare from Pansy to Daphne, who wasn't intimidated, not even in the slighest. Professor Snape looked like he would blow his top any minute now.

"Miss Granger," he insisted. "You and your other group members are to follow me!"

Harry and his friends had their wands pointed out at the other Harry haters, to make sure they didn't escape and continue to elude justice. The rest of the Anti-Potter club gulped nervously, clearing knowing that they were in deep, _deep_ trouble. Hermione refused to accept that their reign of terror was finally over.

"Bletchley," Snape scolded. "I'm furious with you for cutting classes, now you can also face expulsion!"

Snape led the rest of the Anti-Potter club members over to the unused classroom where the other members were currently held. As Snape was closing the door, he was ecstatic that he finally had the proof he needed to get the Harry haters expelled, and arrested for their crimes, especially Hermione. Snape went to Professor McGonagall and explained that Pansy was under the influence of manipulation potions the whole time, and the whole thing was mostly Hermione's doing. Back in the unused classroom, Hermione was shaking with pure rage, to the point where the other members backed away in fear. How could all of her plans just backfire? Why did Potter have to ruin it and such? He just had to continue letting his ego get to him.

"Uh H-Hermione," said Ron, somewhat nervously. "Y-You r-r-really sh-should've k-kept your m-mouth shut!"

"SHUT UP!" snapped Hermione in a vicious tone. "JUST... SHUT UP, YOU FUCKING IDIOT! NOT... ANOTHER... FUCKING... WORD... OUT OF ANY OF YOU!"

Ron cowered a bit in pure terror. Hermione decided that Harry was to be taken out, once and for all, the first chance she got, even if doing so landed her in Azkaban, which was bound to happen either way. None of the other members bothered to let Hermione know what Harry possibly had in mind before making them all face their fate, especially since they have yet to find out themselves. Trying to keep their distance from Hermione wasn't easy, due to being in an unused classroom, especially with the whole group in there. Hermione grabbed Ron by the front of his shirt and threw him to the ground, then she punched Draco in the stomach, for being the first members to actually be caught. Then Hermione punched Theodore in the nose, and punched Marietta in the arm, for their lack of caution on being the lookouts. Then, Hermione used some wandless magic to conjure a belt and faced the girls in the group, who were also cowering beneath their enraged leader.

"BEND OVER," Hermione commanded, but none of the girls could move, too petrified with fright. "WHAT PART OF BEND OVER DO YOU HAVE FUCKING TROUBLE UNDERSTANDING?"

The other girls complied, now more scared than ever. Hermione began whacking the girls' bums relentlessly, making sure it would be as hard and painful as possible, to ensure they couldn't sit comfortably without feeling any pain. Then, the boys in the group (minus Bletchley) were whacked in the back, also relentlessly. Once she finished, Hermione stomped off into a conjured restroom. The girls were covering their bums with their hands, also crying (albeit silently) due to the extreme pain. The boys also cried from the pain coming from their whacked backs. This was going to seem like an eternity for them before they could see what Harry had planned for them next.

 _To Be continued!_

 **Author's note: I'd like to thank 'dannyrockon122' for suggesting the ideas of Hermione finding out the two most important rules, being that Hermione does stink, and more importantly, she should've kept her mouth shut.**

 **I also want to thank 'setokayba2n' for suggesting the idea of Pansy being a spy for Snape and alerting him about the Harry haters and their base of operation in a review.**

 **The revelation of Pansy being under the influence of manipulation potions was my idea.**

 **An anonymous reviewer did point out that Ron being the leader would be very unlikely, so I took that into consideration and turned that into the plot twist with Hermione revealing herself as the leader the whole time. So I have to thank that reviewer for that.**


	30. Chapter 30

_Disclaimer: As mentioned before, J.K. Rowling owns the Harry Potter series. I just this fanfic and OCs. No copyright intended!_

Ch. 30

Investigations And Wake-up Calls

Harry and his friends were relieved that the entire Anti-Potter club had finally been caught. Upon investigating for more leads as to how Hermione had managed to get away with so much, Dobby, Winky, Dilly and Missy apparated to Harry.

"Master Harry," said Dobby. "You must come to the schools kitchens! It's rather urgent!"

So Harry and his friends followed Dobby to the school kitchens. Once inside, the approached the house elves, all of who, it turned out, were surrounding one, injured. This shocked Harry and his friends.

"What happened?" asked Harry.

"Tipsy, he's was hurts bad." Winky explained.

"He was ables to tells all of us house elves that some bushy haired girl pounded him," informed Dobby. "She kept ordering him to give what was called manipulation potions to some girl named Pansy. Every time Tipsy said no, the bushy-haired girl kept beating Tipsy up and giving hims boo-boos!"

"We also found this, master Harry!" said Dilly, handing Harry a folded-up piece of parchment.

Harry took it, which read:

 _Miles,_

 _It has come to my attention that Tipsy, a particular house-elf is an expert at sneaking around undetected. So I requested to him to put manipulation potions in everybody's drink (except for Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet and Katie Bell), to ensure that they taunt Potter to the point where he leaves Hogwarts for good. Tipsy's refusals have been met with severe consequences, and would continue until he relented and complied with my requests._

 _Love,_

 _Hermione_

Harry was enraged, remembering Hermione setting up the SPEW organization, but even that was a guise.

"Uh, Winky," said Harry. "How did Granger do this to Tipsy?"

"Tipsy managed to say that she used some sorts of powerful stinging hexes," said Winky. "She's kepts at it every time he refused."

Harry and his friends couldn't believe what all was revealed. Hermione never wanted to free the house elves at all, she just wanted to use them for her own personal gain. Meanwhile, Hermione went into the conjured restroom of the classroom that her club members (as well herself) were being kept, with Miles. She ordered her club members not to knock on the door, or experience more consequences. Then, when she and Bletchley closed the restroom door, Hermione conjured a window and a rope that was charmed to never snap, and the two climbed out, so they could remain as fugitives. Hermione also wanted to confront Harry again, for 'ruining her plans.' Then the two sneaked to one of the school entrances. They managed to sneak back in undetected. The security wards were lifted, as Harry and his friends believed that they weren't necessary any longer. Then Miles and Hermione sneaked toward the school dungeons for another plan.

Meanwhile, Harry and his friends were in the Room of Requirement, going over more of their earlier investigations. The more they found out about Hermione's crimes, the more worried they got, all of this also became wake-up calls on the type of person Hermione was all along. Then they left to continue with their detective work. As they made it close to the lower floor, they ran into Hermione and Miles, who had smug grins on their faces.

"How did you escape?" asked Harry.

"That's our little secret," said Hermione sneeringly. "Now, what made you thinking it was okay to fuck up our plans, you prat?!"

"It's so you wouldn't continue to get away with your crimes, Granger," said Harry. "So the SPEW thing was another scheme to avoid any suspicions."

"Yeah, that's right, Potter," said Hermione with another sneer. "How did you figure that out!"

"I do recall reminding you that you owe me a life debt," reminded Harry. "Helping to save you from that troll!"

"Another misdirection, Potter," Hermione bragged. "Miles comforted me that night after Ronald 'insulted' me, but we've been more concerned with taking you out. In fact, Professor Quirrell was helping us in that plan. While we pretended that we were relieved it was knocked out, we were boiling with anger deep inside. So we were using that troll to lure you into the girls' bathroom that evening, with the help of, yet another student!"

At that moment, another Slytherin student came out of his hiding spot. Harry and his Hogwarts friends recognized the other Slytherin as Marcus Flint, the Slytherin Quidditch captain. Why Flint was still attending was a mystery, as he should've graduated a couple years ago.

"How come you're still here, Flint?" asked Harry.

"Oh, I failed my final year... again," said Flint with a sneer. "I was having fun, helping Miles and Hermione out, so I continued to fail, in order to continue helping them out, Potter!"

"What about second year, Granger?" asked Harry. "You were petrified, and would've likely gotten petrified again, if I hadn't defeated that basilisk!"

"That wasn't the real me," boasted Hermione. "That was a conjured statue replica of me. Flint here was able to use a very dark spell to learn parseltongue, so he could control the basilisk and petrify the others who were unfortunate enough to look at the basilisk's eyes."

"And now," said Bletchley, with an evil grin. "Time to meet your end first, Potter!"

Harry and his friends were wondering what there next plan was, but their question was answer when they heard stomps, which started shaking the school more and more as it got closer and closer. Then, out stepped the troll Harry remembered fighting in his first year. Hermione and Flint also had evil grins on their faces. Harry's friends were also terrified, as it looked like the troll was eager for revenge on Harry. The troll grunted at Harry threateningly, then it raised it's club.

"You see, Potter, we are troll whisperers!" bragged Hermione, Bletchley and Flint in unison.

Then they ordered the troll to take Harry out, even if it meant killing him. Then the troll swung the club down on the ground, as if to tell Harry and his friends to prepare for their final moments. The force of the club swinging onto the ground was enough for Harry and his friends to fly off of their feet and fall onto their bums. That, however, didn't go unnoticed, as the teachers felt the rumbling, and they started following the direction it was coming from. Harry tried the levitation charm on the club, only to find out that it wouldn't budge.

"Oh, we forgot to tell you," said Hermione defiantly. "I placed an anti-levitation charm on the club, to ensure you wouldn't knock it out!"

Harry and his friends were terrified, as trolls were heavily strong, even with more people to help, they were still hard to take down. Several tactics were used, but they either didn't have, or had very little effect. Harry came up with an idea, so he cast a charm on the stone floor, covering it with ice, and then, Gabby cast a charm on the ice to make it as slippery as possible. When the troll lunged forward, it started slipping, and continued to do so, then it skidded off and fell down into the large pit under the stairs that liked to change direction. Bletchley and Flint ran after it, only to find themselves in the same predicament as the troll. They, too slipped and started skidding and eventually slid off into the pit. Then, the troll landed on the floor of the large pit, enough to cause a shake as powerful as an earthquake. This also caused the troll to hit it's head on the stone floor. Hermione was furious that this plan also failed, but then she turned around upon spotting Harry and his friends, with threatening glares, and started running away. Harry and his friends were following in hot pursuit. Then Daphne cast a charm on the floor in front of Hermione, to make her slip and skid into a wall, temporarily stunning the arrogant, bushy-haired female.

"Not so smart now, huh, Granger?" taunted Daphne. "And now, you will get the punishment I think you deserve."

So she conjured a blindfold and tied it over Hermione's eyes, then she cast a charm on the blindfold to prevent her from untying it. Then Tracey cast a charm to make Hermione lay on her stomach with her bum sticking up, on Daphne's lap, and another spell to make sure she couldn't escape. Then Daphne conjured three belts and gave one to Tracey and the other one to Tori. With the blindfold over her eyes, Hermione had no idea what was going on, but knew that she was at the mercy of Daphne, Tracey and Tori. Harry and his friends watched as the three Slytherins were getting ready to punish Hermione. As soon as Daphne nodded her head, Tracey and Tori started smacking Hermione's bum with their belts.

The Slytherin girls were taking turns, and they continued to smack Hermione's bum with their respective belts. They made sure it was relentless, and they ignored Hermione's cries for mercy. Harry and the rest of friends, who were watching, were laughing as they continued watching Hermione receive spankings. Due to having the blindfold over her eyes, Hermione had no idea who it was giving her the spankings, but was able to tell they were using belts. Once Daphne, Tracey and Tori finished spanking Hermione, they undid the spell that held her in place, but kept the blindfold over her, because at that moment, Ginny walked over to Hermione and gave her a swift kick in the butt, for good measure. Then, the charm on the blindfold was cancelled, then Hermione, after untying the blindfold, covered her bum with her hands as she began crying harder, due to the pain from the spankings.

"Waaaahhhhhhh-ahhhhhhhhh," sobbed Hermione. "That was unju-ustifi-ied! That hurt like hell, to-oo-oo-oo!"

"Aww, quit your fucking whining, Granger!" growled Daphne as she fixed her ice queen glare at the supposedly smartest witch since Helena Ravenclaw. "You've been a total jerk, not to mention a criminal ever since Halloween, so don't give us any stupid excuses!"

"Yeah, Granger," said Ginny as she pulled Hermione to her feet, and made the arrogant bushy haired female face her glare, terrifying Hermione. "All of that was to teach you a lesson, and you should be happy that you didn't get your comeuppance... yet! But you're bound to get it sooner or later."

Meanwhile, the teachers were taking care of the troll. Upon inspection, Professor McGonagall saw that the impact that the troll's head had to take killed it. Flint and Bletchley were lucky, but they were already in deeper trouble, along with Hermione. Upon spotting Flint, Professor Snape was furious, knowing that Flint was also skipping classes, just for his personal gain. Harry and his friends made it back to where the troll slid off, with a terrfied Hermione surrounded in all directions, to make sure she didn't escape. Hermione and Bletchley were taken back to the classroom where the other Anti-Potter club members were being kept, they were also joined by Flint. Hermione's temper was now blood-boiling, to the point where it was like a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. The other members backed away in fear.

Harry and his friends went back to the Room of Requirement. They knew that Rita Skeeter would be next on the pranking list, but they had no leads as to where she was, or where she could be found. Gabby whispered to Fred, George and Lee about a pranking idea on Skeeter, with the pranksters grinning mischievously. Gabby wanted Harry to be surprised, again, when Rita gets pranked at the first chance. Harry also told Professor McGonagall about what he had in mind to show everybody what his life was like, which was to make the Anti-Potter club members find out the hard way. Snape was still furious that even Flint was part of the Harry Haters club. Professor McGonagall even told Harry that the troll was killed, which surprised and relieved Harry and his friends. He told his head of house about the other crimes Hermione bragged about committing, which angered McGonagall. She found it revolting, and the more she thought about it, the worse Hermione's punishment was bound to be. Owls were even sent to the parents of various children, that way Harry could show them what his Pre-Hogwarts life was really like. Harry knew the next task for that was a difficult one, and was preparing for it, due to the Dursleys abuse toward him.

 _To be continued!_

 **Author's note: Another thank you to 'dannyrockon122' for suggesting the third rule for Hermione being that excuses are lame, and that they stink like the people who use them.**

 **I also want to thank the user 'HufflepuffBadger1978' for suggesting that the troll incident to be a setup, with the troll being loyal to Hermione all along.**


	31. Chapter 31

_Disclaimer: Like I've said before, I just own the fanfic and OCs. J.K. Rowling the wonderful world of Harry Potter. No copyright intended!_

 **Warning: Readers discretion is advised, once more, due to some sensitive moments that will be revealed in this chapter.**

Ch. 31

Instant Karma And Suplex City

The next morning, the school started filing into the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall posted a notice in front of the Great Hall entrance, mentioning that breakfast was going to be cancelled today, at Harry's request, making the students wonder why. Professors McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick and Sprout walked to the classroom where the Harry haters were kept, instructed them to head to the Great Hall. Harry and his friends kept a close watch on them, to make sure they didn't escape, especially Hermione, Bletchley and Flint. Draco tried to get back at Harry for 'confunding his girl,' only for Harry to give the ferret the shoryuken uppercut.

"Shoryuken!" Harry shouted as he gave Draco the uppercut.

This caused Draco to fly off his feet and fall seven feet backwards, leaving him surprised. Ron also tried to get back at Harry, only to get suplexed when Harry dodged it by somersaulting under Ron.

"Suplex City, bitch!" said Harry as he executed the move on Ron.

Ron landed on his back, with a stunned look on his face. Then he and Draco got back up and continued walking to the Great Hall. They, along with the other Harry haters, saw some chairs in front of the staff table, where they were ordered to sit. The school governors were there, wanting to see what Harry's Pre-Hogwarts life had been like. Professor Dumbledore was there, on orders by the governors. There were also a number of parents who also wanted to see what Harry's Pre-Hogwarts life was like, too. Some of the Harry haters' parents were there as well. Not long after finding a seat, Susan saw her aunt Amelia walking in with Professor Sprout. When her aunt fixed Susan with a nasty glare, she cowered in her chair, realizing that she was in serious trouble. Then Amelia approached Professor McGonagall.

"Minerva, is there any empty classroom I can use for a minute?" Amelia asked.

"The antechamber behind the staff table is open." said Professor McGonagall.

"Thank you, Minerva," said Amelia. "I just need it for a minute or two, to have a talk with my niece."

"Oh no!" Susan gasped, cowering even more in her chair.

Then, Amelia marched over to Susan, grabbed her by the back of her shirt and dragged her into the antechamber. Then, Amelia hurled Susan into a chair, cast silence charms on the door, and just glared at Susan again, making her cower in her chair once more.

"SUSAN BONES," screamed Amelia at the top of her lungs. "DO YOU CARE TO EXPLAIN THIS BEHAVIOUR OF YOURS THAT YOU'VE BEEN EXHIBITING EVER SINCE HALLOWEEN, YOU STUPID BINT?"

Susan was petrified with fright, unable to speak and unable to move. This was exactly why hardly anybody would want to be on the receiving end of her aunt's screaming.

"Well, I'll start explaining it to you, young lady," seethed Amelia through gritted teeth. "Your actions toward Harry almost cost us the alliance we've had with House Potter for the last three centuries. What's worse is that you joined this stupid club to drive Harry out of Hogwarts, and likely Britain. HOW COULD YOU EVEN THINK OF DOING SOMETHING LIKE THIS?"

"I... I w-was j-just supporting Cedric, auntie!" said Susan, terrified.

Susan realized too late that she had said the wrong thing, because at just that moment, her aunt did the one thing she had never done before. She had smacked Susan in the face.

"THAT REMARK IS INDEFENSIBLE, YOUNG LADY," Amelia screamed again, making Susan cower, yet again. "HOW COULD YOU EVEN BE SO STUPID TO ATTACK A MEMBER OF AN ALLIED HOUSE, LET ALONE BE FINE WITH IT? IS THAT REALLY A RIGHT WAY OF SUPPORTING SOMEBODY FROM HUFFLEPUFF?"

Susan shook her head frantically.

"SEEING HOW I WORK FOR THE MINISTRY, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH EMBARRASSMENT YOUR ACTIONS HAVE CAUSED ME?" Amelia continued ranting.

"A... alot?" said Susan.

"PRECISELY," shouted Amelia. "As of now, I'm disowning you from House Bones. It's the only way to keep the alliance going, even Harry said so."

"I'm sorry, auntie." Susan tried apologizing pathetically.

"It's too late, young lady," stated Amelia. "Harry even said that your apologies won't be accepted. Now get back out there, and back into your chair. Mr. Potter has something to show everyone, and not another word out of you!"

Susan felt tears welling up, she really was disowned. So she walked back to the chair she was sitting at, and sat back down. There was no point in placing the blame on Hermione only, as Susan knew she joined the group on her own free will. Tears started flowing down her cheeks. Ron was also dragged to an empty classroom by his mother, where she proceeded to yell at him for his misbehaviour. Even Arthur was equally mad, he couldn't believe what all Ron had done. Draco also saw his mother march over to him, grabbed his ear and dragged him into the antechamber, and told him that she had divorced Lucius, and would return to House Black after getting a chance to make up with Sirius. Hannah was also given a screaming from both of her parents, and subsequently disowned from House Abbott. Hermione received an owl from her parents, explaining that she, too was disowned, with another explanation that they didn't raise her to behave that way, and how they had warned their former daughter about putting trust and faith into someone without question being unwise. Rather than admit her guilt, Hermione instead angrily blamed Harry.

Eventually, aurors began arriving, to make sure nobody would leave. Even the school ghosts helped to keep watch, particularly Sir Nicholas, The Bloody Baron, The Gray Lady and The Fat Friar. Surprisingly, even Peeves the Poltergeist decided to behave for this (possibly on The Bloody Baron's orders). Once everybody made it inside the Great Hall, the doors to the Great Hall closed, then Sir Nicholas glided over to where the headmaster's podium was. Then, some kind of projection screen was lower, with some kind of basin conjured next to it.

"Now, what this is is a Pensieve 3000, it works like a slide projector. All memories will be poured into the basin next to it, and you will be reviewing the memories as if it were a movie," Sir Nicholas explained. "And Lady Hogwarts wants you all to brace yourselves, because what you're about to see are memories of Mr. Potter's childhood, and they won't be pretty. You may walk forward, Mr. Potter."

Harry got up and started walking forward, with some sort of briefcase that had vials in it. Harry's parents, sister, godsister, godfather, as well as Tom gave Harry an encouraging nod. Harry also saw Professor Lupin standing by Sirius. As Harry continued walking toward where Sir Nicholas was, some beetle flew in front of him, apparently trying to stop him. Then finally, Harry grabbed it and looked at it's markings, suspiciously. The markings made it look like it was wearing glasses, so Harry carried the beetle over to his head of house, and Amelia.

"Madam Bones," said Harry. "Is this beetle somebody using their animagus form?"

"There's only one way to find out, Harry." said Amelia.

So she set the 'beetle' down and cast 'finite incantantum' on it, and the beetle turned into Harry's least favourite journalist, Rita Skeeter, much to everyone's shock.

"Ms. Skeeter," said Professor McGonagall neutrally. "Long time, no see."

"And why didn't you register?" asked Amelia angrily.

"Uh... um... w-wellllll," stuttered Rita pathetically.

Gabby nodded to Fred, George and Lee, so the three pranksters ducked under the Gryffindor table and got their wands ready.

"I see," Amelia continued. "You won't be able to escape. You will be fined 500 galleons if you don't register in the next seven days! If you still refuse, then you'll face trial and be sent to Azkaban."

"And you've been fired, Skeeter," informed Harry. "Since I own a share of The Daily Prophet, I even saw to it to make sure you were fired, for conspiracy to ruin my reputation!"

Everybody gasped at that revelation, making Rita smile nervously. Then, from under the table, with careful aim, Lee cast some spell on the pair of pants Rita was wearing, while Fred and George cast a charm to make the moronic journalist drop her quill and ensure it. Then, Rita bent down to pick it up, with her back turned toward the house tables, and then the seat of her trousers split wide open, exposing her knickers, which were red with black polka dots, resulting in everybody howling with laughter. This made Rita turn red in embarrassment, but Amelia ordered her to take a seat, so Harry could get ready to show everybody his Pre-Hogwarts life. The vials he brought out had his memories in them. Before pouring the memories into the basin, Harry got out his wand.

"I, Harry James Potter, hereby swear on my life and magic that the memories you're about to see are real and haven't been tampered with in any way possible, so mote it be!" he declared.

His wand emitted bright light, and his body glowed in gold light, which meant that Harry was telling the truth. Then Harry proceeded to pour his memories into the basin. After the light went out, a test pattern, with the words _please stand by_ appeared on the projector screen. The projector screen would view the memories on both sides, so not only the students at the house tables, and the people standing around them would see, but also those at or around the staff table. Then, the Pensieve 3000 got ready to show the first memory.

(Harry's first memory)

The first memory began showing a seven-year-old Harry, in his overly large hand-me-downs, tending his Aunt Petunia's garden, on a hot summer day, with the temperature hovering around 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, seven year old Harry tried to get a drink of water from the hose, only to be stopped by his cousin, Dudley.

"Mum and dad don't like you wasting water, freak!" he said.

"I'm just getting a drink," said Harry. "It's too hot out here!"

Dudley started punching Harry, like a human punching bag. Harry retaliated and punched Dudley in the stomach, but then he began stumbling back.

"MUM," screamed Dudley. "The freak is beating me up for no reason!"

"How dare you!" snapped Aunt Petunia.

"Dudley hit me first!" Harry tried defending himself pathetically.

"YOU NASTY LIAR, MY PRECIOUS DUDDYKINS WOULD NEVER HURT A FLY!" screamed Petunia.

Then she brought Harry back in, so Uncle Vernon would 'confront' him. Then, Vernon began whacking Harry's back relentlessly, allowing Dudley to 'help out.' After five seemingly-eternal minutes, Vernon threw Harry into the cupboard under the stairs.

(End of memory)

Many people were stunned to see Harry beat up, and then get 'punished' for defending himself. Lily's anger toward her big sister was increasing more and more by the second. Then the screen projector got ready for another memory.

(Harry's second memory)

An eight-year-old Harry was sitting on a bench at a playground at his primary school, where a couple students tried to approach Harry and befriend him, but then, Dudley and his gang stopped them.

"DON'T YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT IT," warned Dudley. "FREAKS DON'T DESERVE HAPPINESS, LET ALONE ANY FRIENDS!"

This made the students run away in fear, leaving eight-year-old Harry heartbroken, which Dudley and his gang ignored.

"You should be used to this now, freak!" taunted Piers.

"I have just as much right to have friends!" Harry stated.

"No you don't," snapped Dudley. "This is for your backtalk!"

Dudley and his gang began beating up Harry, five on one. When Harry managed to punch Piers in the nose, Dudley started screaming.

"This kid is beating me and my friends up for no reason!" Dudley mock cried, making sure to exaggerate the whole situation as much as possible.

Then, a teacher took Harry to the principal's office, ignoring Harry's cries that he was the one beat up. Once Harry was in the principal's office, he gave Harry an unjust punishment.

"Mr. Potter," scolded the principal. "I can't believe you would beat up five kids!"

"They attacked me first!" cried Harry.

"No lies," warned the principal. "You will be serving two weeks of detention helping the teachers out, for your violent behaviour, and for making up lies, now out you go!"

As Harry left, he saw Dudley and his gang snickering. Harry gulped, knowing his aunt and uncle wouldn't be too happy with this.

(End of memory)

Everybody was frightened with the five on one beating, especially when Harry was on the receiving end. Molly was in hysterics, to the point where not even Arthur could calm her down. Alot of the female students were in tears, especially those who stayed by Harry's side.

(Harry's third memory)

Another one with Harry as an eight-year-old, and he was running away from Dudley's gang. Harry found a hiding spot, and he also heard his aunt and uncle stroll by.

"The freak won't let us beat him up!" Dudley whined.

"Ungrateful little freak," growled Uncle Vernon. "We give him a place to live and food to eat, and this is how he repays us. Once we find him, he'll be in so much trouble."

"Don't worry, Duddykins," soothed Aunt Petunia. "You'll get to beat up the freak once he makes it back!"

(End of memory)

Amelia was stunned that Harry's cousin and his gang were allowed to beat Harry up. Lily was blood boiling at that. How could her sister do this? Professor McGonagall glared at Albus, who was going pale.

(Harry's fourth memory)

Nine-year-old Harry was waking up to the rude rapping on the door to the cupboard under the stairs.

"GET UP, NOW, FREAK!" shrieked Petunia. "NOW GET BREAKFAST COOKING, AND DON'T YOU DARE LET IT BURN!"

Harry groaned in exasperation.

"AND MIND YOUR ATTITUDE, BOY!" snapped Petunia.

So Harry went to the refrigerator, then got the eggs and bacon out, and proceeded to cook his family their breakfast. Then, the one thing he was warned not to do happened. He had accidentally burned the bacon, then Dudley came in and threw a nasty temper tantrum.

"MUM, THE FREAK RUINED MY BREAKFAST!" Dudley wailed.

"It was an accident!" Harry pathetically pleaded.

"THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS ACCIDENTS, BOY!" screamed Petunia out at the top of her lungs.

Then, she smacked Harry across the face, as hard as she could. Then, Vernon picked up one of Harry's hands and seared it on one of the stove burners, ignoring Harry's screaming and crying. Then, Harry was violently tossed into his cupboard.

(End of memory)

Many people cringed when they saw Harry smacked across the face. They cringed even more upon witnessing one of Harry's hands getting seared on the stove burner. Professor Snape also started glaring at Albus. Even the head of the governors was outraged.

(Harry's fifth memory)

A six-year-old Harry was washing dishes, and had to use a stool to be able to do so. Then, a plate slipped out of his grasp and broke, and Petunia came marching into the kitchen, furious.

"THAT WAS MY FAVORITE PLATE, YOU FREAK!" snapped Petunia.

"I'm sorry, it was an accident!" Harry apologized.

"Sorry doesn't cut it, freak," claimed Petunia. "You did it on purpose!"

Vernon came in and twisted Harry's arm to the point of breaking it. Ignoring Harry's cries for mercy, Vernon tossed Harry into his cupboard.

(End of memory)

Lily's anger and rage was already like a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. Gabby felt tears roll down her cheeks. Even though Harry told her all about his life before Hogwarts, watching the memories still wasn't pleasant.

(Harry's sixth memory)

It was Dudley's tenth birthday, over a year before Harry started Hogwarts. Aunt Marge was visiting. Then, Harry accidentally stepped on the paw of Marge's favourite dog, Ripper. This made the angry dog chase Harry out into the backyard, and up a tree, mercilessly preventing a terrified nine-year-old Harry from climbing down.

"Help!" cried Harry.

"That's your punishment, you brat," said Marge. "You stepped on my precious Ripper's paw, and you have to pay the price."

"It was an accident!" Harry pleaded pathetically.

"YOU DID IT ON PURPOSE," screamed Marge. "OTHERWISE, RIPPER WOULDN'T HAVE CHASED YOU IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

Marge and the other Dursleys continued laughing at the frightened Harry. Harry was so scared that he ended up wetting himself, making the Dursleys laugh even more, ignoring Harry's cries for help and mercy. Even when bedtime came, Marge still refused to call Ripper off, hoping it would 'teach him a lesson' for being a 'burden.' In fact, it wasn't even until the next morning when Marge decided to finally call Ripper off. Despite being tired, Harry was still ordered to cook breakfast, ignoring Harry's pleas for sleep. Harry was so tired that he fell forward, and some of the bacon grease poured out over himself. Instead of taking Harry to the hospital, he was punished for 'ruining breakfast' by his uncle, in the form of beatings from a belt, making sure it was unrelenting.

(End of memory)

That memory frightened the majority of the people in the Great Hall, more than the other ones. Poor Harry could've been killed if Ripper had gotten a hold of him. So it wasn't just Marge, but Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley were also guilty of attempted murder. The house elves who worked in the school kitchens appeared to give everybody calming draught. Then, Harry showed a few more memories, where he was bullied by the male members of the Ant-Potter club, where the female members smacked him in the face. Then, the final one being Harry and his friends coming across Hermione, where she confessed (in a boasting tone) in using Felix Felicis to ensure that Harry and his friends wouldn't retaliate, and to make sure his friends wouldn't help Harry in any way, and also the part with Hermione bragging about having Pansy under the influence of manipulation potions was shown. This had everyone glaring at the Anti-Potter club members, even though most of them were finally feeling remorse. The only ones who weren't were Crabbe and Goyle, who just looked confused, but otherwise didn't do anything, Bletchley and Flint refused to acknowledge that all those memories were real. Hermione, especially was seething in anger, also shaking with rage. Harry approached a distressed Ron, with a stern look.

"So tell me Ronald," said Harry angrily. "Was that what you wanted? Did you really want to give up your love and caring family, just for my fame? Why would you only be interested in a friendship just because I'm famous? Did it occur to you that I wanted to have genuine friends only? Was letting your jealousy get in the way really worth the trouble?"

Ron opened his mouth to say something in his defence, only for Harry to hold a hand up to stop him.

"It's too late for that," said Harry firmly. "You've proven ever since Halloween that you've never really been my friend, you just wanted fame for being 'friends' with The-Boy-Who-Lived, instead of being friends with me as a person!"

"I even warned you," said Ginny as she approached Ron. "I warned you and Hermione not to come crying to us or anybody when and if you receive your comeuppance. This incident is clear proof that you're receiving it!"

Then Tori got up and stomped over to Draco, making sure to give him a paralyzing glare while doing so, causing Draco to become utterly terrified, especially when Tori got up in his face. This made Draco cower a bit more.

"SHAME ON YOU, MALFOY," Tori screamed as fiercely as possible. "SHAME ON YOU FOR YOUR ACTIONS AGAINST HARRY! THIS ALSO PROVES THAT YOU HAVE JEALOUSY ISSUES, LIKE RONALD! I EVEN TRIED TEACHING YOU LESSONS, PARTICULARLY FOR ALL THOSE TIMES YOU TRIED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ME!"

Daphne and Tori's father also shot a glare at Draco, who was cowering even more. Lord Greengrass remembered when Lucius threatened him into agreeing with the contract to have Tori and Draco married sometime in the future. Now, it has come out as to what all Draco tried doing to Tori for the longest time.

"I HAVE NO INTENTIONS TO BE WITH SOMEBODY AFTER ME FOR MY LOOKS AND FAMILY'S WEALTH," Tori continued screaming in Draco's face. "BUT NO, YOU REFUSED TO ACCEPT THAT, BECAUSE YOU CLAIMED I WAS CONFUNDED! BUT NOW, YOU CAN SPEND A LONG, LONG TIME PONDERING OVER YOUR ACTIONS BEHIND BARS!"

Then Tori turned her back on Draco, stuck her nose up as if to say no to being with him, and that it was final. People started laughing upon witnessing that, despite having been upset at watching Harry's memories. Tori walked back over to where her parents were standing. Harry and Gabby saw Hermione with an enraged look on her face.

"So, evidently, even that wasn't a wake-up call for you, Granger?" said Harry.

"You really have a way of tampering with your memories, _Potter_!" growled Hermione. "Another stupid incident where you just..."

"Harry was telling the truth all along, Miss Granger," said a strange voice. "Or should I say, Miss No-Name!"

Harry turned toward the voice, and found a strange wizard wearing strange clothing.

"May I ask who you are?" said Harry.

"Call me, dannyrockon122!" said the wizard in combat clothing.

"What's your stupid business here?" Hermione rudely demanded.

"Is that any way to talk to anybody," said dannyrockon122. "Especially from someone who is a master at combat, combined with martial arts?"

Hermione was confused, but the wizard called dannyrockon122, approached her.

"I've been observing your actions since Halloween," said dannyrockon122. "To answer your question, I'm here to give some very, _very_ important rules that you should've followed. Number one, excuses are lame, and anybody who uses any smells bad. Number two, there are times where you need to keep your mouth shut, which you should've done. Number three, what goes around, comes around. Your bad deeds are already coming back to bite at you, whether you believe that or not."

'He sure knows how to sum that up!' thought Harry.

"And number four," dannyrockon122. "Spreading lies, and giving them to the wrong person is extremely low. Ms. Skeeter here being more than willing to help with that, you should be ashamed. Not just you, Miss No-Name, but the rest of your group out to make Harry suffer for something he didn't do, and Ms. Skeeter should also be ashamed for giving the Daily Prophet that bad reputation! And number five, it's too late for you all to apologize, especially true for you, Dumbledore!"

"Now, now," Albus tried explaining. "Leaving Harry with his relatives was necessary..."

"You didn't even pay attention to my memories?" said Harry, outraged. "Why didn't anybody do anything to get me out of the custody of my relatives!"

"My reasons are valid," said Dumbledore pathetically. "If I hadn't given Minerva and Remus manipulation potions, they..."

"WHAT?!" exclaimed Professor McGonagall and Professor Lupin, with everybody also glaring at Professor Dumbledore.

"Albus, how could you?" asked the head of the school governors.

"Now, now, all of this can be explained." said Albus pathetically, trying to keep up the facade with his grandfatherly mask.

"Don't even bother," said dannyrockon122. "It's over!"

Albus went pale, knowing there was no more getting out of it. Hermione still had no intentions to accept her fate. She glared at Harry with her teeth clenched, shaking with more rage.

"You know what, Potter?" barked Hermione.

"What?" asked Harry in an exasperated tone.

"I... am... gonna... KILL _YOU_!" screamed Hermione.

"Don't even think about it, Granger!" warned Gabby in a dangerous voice, standing in front of Harry.

Hermione ignored the warning and proceeded to lunge toward Harry and Gabby, having decided to also kill Gabby. This, unfortunately for Hermione, caused the aurors to send tripping spells on the deranged bushy-haired female. Then, one auror tried to restrain Hermione by placing her hands behind her back, but Hermione struggled and momentarily freed herself to continue her plan. When she was caught again, she actually tried fighting back, even when two more aurors went to try restraining her, with moderate use.

"Okay, Miss Granger," said Kingsley. "You're also charged with resisting arrest, and with assault and battery on three aurors!"

It took a total of five aurors to restrain Hermione, so that she could be placed in magic suppression handcuffs.

"Now, Miss Granger, or Miss No-Name," Kingsley began reciting. "You don't have to say anything. But it may harm your defence in court. Anything you do say can be given in evidence!"

As Hermione got up onto her feet, she glared at Harry and Gabby once more, as the aurors led her out, so they can apparate her to a holding cell at the Ministry of Magic, but not before Professor McGonagall snapped Hermione's wand in front of her. All of the wands owned by their respective Anti-Potter club members were also snapped. Bletchley and Flint also tried resisting arrest, followed by assault and battery on an auror. They were inevitably placed in magic suppression handcuffs, had their rights read and led out to be taken into Ministry custody. Crabbe and Goyle also tried resisting, but struggled in the process. Once they were cuffed, they also had their rights read to them, and were also taken into custody.

"Susan," said Kingsley adamantly. "I never wanted to do this, but you must place your hands behind your back!"

Susan complied, then Kingsley placed Amelia's former niece in magic suppression handcuffs, read her her rights and had Susan taken into custody. The rest of the Anti-Potter club members' arrests went uneventful. When Draco was led out, Lord Greengrass sent a nasty glare at the former Malfoy scion, terrifying Draco. When Ron was led out, his family members also glared at him as he passed by. Ron pathetically gave them pleading eyes, which was ignored. Rita was also arrested for her actions, especially for slandering Harry in the Daily Prophet. Albus, too, was arrested, and taken into custody, where he, Rita, and the Harry haters would await trial. Barty Crouch Sr, Ludo Bagman and Mundungus Fletcher were subsequently declared fugitives, and were placed on wanted posters. Harry knew that the trials for his enemies were bound to happen, so he started preparing for it.

 _To be continued!_

 **Author's note: Another thank you to 'dannyrockon122' for suggesting the title for this chapter, for Harry doing the shoryuken on Draco, and the suplex on Ron and Harry telling Ron 'Suplex city, bitch.' dannyrockon122 also suggested making a cameo, reminding Harry's enemies the three important rules, along with a fourth one.**


	32. Chapter 32

_Disclaimer: As usual, J.K. Rowling owns the Harry Potter series, I just own the fanfic and OCs. No copyright intended!_

Ch. 32

You Didn't Screw With Me Then, So How About Now?

After Albus was arrested, followed by Hermione and the rest of the Harry haters, the governors asked Professor McGonagall to act as a temporary headmistress, and also asked Professor Flitwick to be the temporary deputy headmaster. Half an hour later, Amelia came back to give Harry (to his utter surprise) a letter, from the Queen of England. He took it and opened it, which read"

 _Dear Mr. Potter,_

 _It has come to my attention about what your childhood was like. I wasn't too happy after finding out about it, it was mentioned in a news article. I even tried helping Madam Amelia Bones in finding you. I'd like it if you could pay me a visit today. Send me an answer as soon as possible please!_

 _Yours Sincerely,_

 _Queen Elizabeth II_

Harry was surprised that her majesty, Queen Elizabeth II had been helping out, all this time. So Harry wrote a reply, gave the note to Amelia, and she walked outside of the wards, and apparated away. Harry went to tell his friends, parents, sister, godsister, godfather and honourary uncle about the Queen requesting a visit.

(9:30 AM)

Harry met up with Amelia in Hogsmeade, then they flooed to the Leaky Cauldron, apparated to the front gate of the queen's castle. The head guard spotted them, opened the gate and showed in, but not before giving Amelia and Harry a bow. Queen Elizabeth II was waiting for them in the castle lobby. As soon as Harry and Amelia stopped walking, they bowed to the queen as they said: "Your majesty!"

"Thank you, Madam Bones, thank you, Lord Potter," said Queen Elizabeth II. "I appreciate you coming. Now, Lord Potter, your former headmistress, former teachers, and former classmates at St. Grogery's Primary School are over in the courtyard. I'll show you the way!"

"Thank you, your majesty!" said Harry, giving the queen another bow.

So he and Amelia followed the queen of to where everybody was waiting. The Dursleys, and even Dudley's gang were there, at the queen's request. Harry glared at his former headmistress, former teachers, and former classmates when they tried to greet Harry. His so-called relatives, and Dudley's gang also received a glare from Harry. Vernon acted all overconfident, refusing the admit that he was already in enough hot water. Harry also saw the wizard who went by 'dannyrockon122' also standing by. Harry's former headmistress nervously approached Harry.

"It's g-good to see you again, H-Harry!" she said, trying not to show her nervousness.

"I can't say the same," said Harry coolly. "You all are about to learn a really harsh lesson... the _hard_ way!"

The headmistress slumped as she sat back down, realizing she was in too deep. Harry and Amelia took a seat next to the queen's chair. The queen approached the podium she used when addressing the audience.

"Alright, everybody," Queen Elizabeth began addressing into the microphone. "You all know why you're here! It's time for you all to learn who Harry Potter really is. I expect you all to pay close attention to every word he says." Then she turned to Harry. "Lord Potter, you may approach the podium!"

"Thank you, your majesty!" said Harry, giving the queen a bow, then he approached the podium and faced the audience he did him wrong all those years ago during his time at St. Grogery's, and started speaking into the microphone. "Now, I'm here to explain what had happened all those years at primary school. Number one, I was never the troublemaker, my cousin, Dudley and his gang were the real troublemakers!"

Vernon, Dudley, and Dudley's gang were furious. 'The freak' was making them look bad, and they needed to deal with him, once and for all.

"Number two," Harry went on. "You all lacked common sense, because otherwise you wouldn't have accepted bribes from my uncle to keep quiet and allow him, my aunt and cousin to get away with their crimes!" (then he turned to Dudley) "And I heard you bragging about that once before, so no more tricks!"

"You'll need to forgive us, freak!" said Vernon and Petunia in unison.

"Why, just so you'd go back to your mistreatment towards me?" said Harry in disgust, as he faced his so-called relatives. "Enough is enough, you bunch of ruthless cowards!"

This was enough to make Petunia cower, while Vernon continued acting all overconfident and became angry. Harry turned back to the audience.

"Now, how can a fucking ten-year-old, stick-skinny boy be a troublemaker?" asked Harry with anger in his voice. Then he turned toward his former headmistress and teachers. "And how could you just ignore my pleas for help? How could you just blacklist somebody unjustly, just for doing the right thing? And why would you accept bribes from my uncle to keep quiet, just so he, Petunia, Dudley and his gang can continue to get away with their crimes?"

"Now listen here, boy," snarled Vernon. "I would never do anything like that! You're nothing but a burden and a disgrace to society! You should be..."

"MR. DURSLEY, THAT WILL BE ENOUGH!" screamed the Queen.

Vernon cowered in fear. Witnessing an angry king or queen wasn't something anybody wanted, especially if they were at the receiving end. Queen Elizabeth II was already angry enough at Harry being given cruel treatment, and Harry's former teachers, headmistress and fellow classmates didn't want to risk angering her any further.

"You may continue, Lord Potter!" said Queen Elizabeth II.

"Thank you, your majesty," said Harry as he gave the queen another bow. Then he turned back to his former headmistress, teachers and classmates. "Now, as you've heard, I'm Lord Potter, head of the most ancient and most noble house of Potter. Despite what my uncle claims, there _is_ such thing as magic. In my world, being the head of a most ancient and most noble house has some nice benefits, like wealth, and power, particularly in politics."

"Now, now, Harry," Aunt Petunia tried pleading pathetically. "Why don't w-we just p-put all of this behind us and..."

"GO FUCK YOURSELF!" Harry shouted at his aunt. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF BEING TREATED LIKE A SLAVE!"

Petunia cowered a bit, but didn't say anything. She was shocked at her nephew's reaction. Queen Elizabeth II even glared at the horse-faced woman.

"D-Do I h-have a chance to m-make amends, Harry?" asked his former headmistress.

"It's too late," said Harry coldly. "You shouldn't have accepted all those bribes in the first place!"

"But..." said the headmistress.

"But nothing," said the wizard named dannyrockon122. "You heard Lord Potter, it's too late!"

This resulted in him bitch-slapping the headmistress, as a wake-up call. The queen didn't do anything, as this was a punishment for the headmistress. Harry's former female classmates tried sucking up to him, but Harry didn't fall for that, knowing they just wanted his money. In fact, Dudley's gang members, Dennis, Malcolm, Gordon and their respective parents tried the same tactic, only for it to fall on deaf ears.

"Now, Lord Potter, I'd like to be your bodyguard!" Piers tried weaseling his way out of trouble.

"Kiss my arse!" sneered Harry.

Piers and his parents were left speechless by that remark. Vernon and Dudley were becoming more and more hot-tempered. As if that wasn't bad enough for Petunia, she was in for a nasty shock. Harry's parents showed up a minute later, having been invited in by the queen. Petunia was shocked beyond belief when she saw her little sister had been alive all this time. Lily approached Petunia, glaring at her at the same time. Petunia looked utterly terrified, knowing that Lily's temper wasn't something anybody wanted to see.

"Li-Li-Lily, what a s-s-surprise t-to see you, h-here!" said Petunia, trying to conceal her nervousness.

"I don't feel the same, Tuney," said Lily, with ferociousness in her voice. "There are some things I want answers to: WHAT GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO TREAT MY SON LIVE A SLAVE? HOW DARE YOU MAKE UP LIES ABOUT HIM? HOW COULD YOU ALLOW YOUR SON AND HIS CRONIES TO JUST BEAT UP MY SON, WITHOUT ANY REMORSE OR CONSCIENCE? WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU RIP OFF MY SON WHEN HE HAD BEEN WORKING HIS ARSE OFF, AND NOT EVEN GIVE HIM ANY PRAISE FOR A JOB WELL DONE? HOW COULD YOU JUST GIVE MY SON OVERLY LARGE HAND-ME-DOWNS? WHY WOULD YOU JUST STARVE HIM, AS WELL AS ATTEMPT TO DEHYDRATE HIM? WHAT WAS YOUR STUPID EXCUSE TO LEAVE MY SON ALONE AND FRIENDLESS? AND DON'T YOU REMEMBER THE AGREEMENT WE MADE ALL THOSE YEARS AGO?"

Everybody gasped when that question escaped Lily's lips, and Petunia paled even more. The queen was was especially furious.

"The way you treated my son was the reason I didn't want him placed in your's and Vernon's custody," said Lily. "I even tried that agreement with you. That is, if Harry should go to you as a last resort, you were to raise him like a son. I even bought that house on Privet Drive for you, hoping this would be a big help, but no, you just treated Harry like a slave, abused him, malnourished him, and left him alone and friendless. You didn't even provide him any comfort when he needed it! Since you, Vernon and Dudley have already been arrested for the crimes you've committed, the house on Privet Drive will be getting sold, you and Vernon can consider that payment for treating Harry like a slave! You all violated the terms of the agreement!"

Petunia was now paste-white with pure fright. Vernon and Dudley continued to be all overconfident. Everybody had backed away in fright when Lily went off on her tirade. Vernon and Dudley had enough, so they went to 'confront the freak.'

"How dare you make fool out of us, boy!" growled Vernon through gritted teeth, turning puce in the face. "You're the one who owes us money for being a burden!

"You heard my mum," said Harry. "You and Petunia are the ones who owe me money for using me!"

"Freaks will just..." Dudley began.

"SHUT UP!" snapped Harry.

"Why don't we settle this with a fight then," said Vernon. "We'll deal with this once and for all!"

"Yeah," agreed Dudley. "Freaks need to be taught a lesson here!"

"Two on one isn't fair," said dannyrockon122. "So I'll join in!"

"Fine!" said Vernon rudely.

"Are you sure you want to help, dannyrockon122?" asked Harry.

"Of course," said dannyrockon122. "But, if it makes it easier, you can just call me Hamon."

"Okay, Hamon," said Harry. "How should the fight be?"

"Well, I can fight Vernon," said Hamon. "And you can fight Dudley!"

"Okay!" agreed Harry.

"Vernon and Dudley have decided on fighting," said Queen Elizabeth II. "Now, let's keep our distance, folks!"

Everybody backed away, giving the four some room for their fight. Vernon and Dudley started by attempting to pounce on their respective opponents, but this proved to be a judgmental error, because at just that moment, Hamon knocked Vernon off his feet with a rush attack, while Harry used his rush attack to knock Dudley off his feet. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm and Gordon tried to come to their leader's rescue, only to meet the same fate. The four were also punched in the nose, rendering them unable to continue.

Hamon threw a number of punches at Vernon while saying "At" over and over again, while Harry threw his punches at Dudley while saying "Ora" over and over again between punches. Vernon and Dudley's cries for mercy were ignored, proving that they still weren't willing to take responsibility for their actions. They were learning the phrase "what goes around... comes around" the hard way. Dudley ended up crashing into a wall as he lost his balance, knocking him unconscious. Finally, Harry and Hamon finished, and they were knackered. But, Harry had one more surprise for Dudley. He got out a piece of paper, wrote on it and placed it on Dudley.

"That's your receipt," said Harry. "Keep the frickin' change!"

Then he walked away badass style. Harry grinned at the thought of Dudley only getting pence instead of pounds.

"Guards," called Queen Elizabeth II, pointing to Vernon and Dudley. "Take those two out and place them back in jail!"

"As you wish, your majesty!" said the head guard.

So the guards dragged Vernon and Dudley away back to jail. Dudley's gang were also taken back to jail. The queen ordered those who wronged Harry to leave, which they complied.

"I do apologize for using some of that profanity, your majesty," said Harry, giving the queen a bow. "I needed to release all of that anger!"

"Apology accepted, Lord Potter," assured Queen Elizabeth II. "I was prepared for it, having found out about your's and your mother's temper from Madam Bones!"

"Hamon, those were some impressive fighting skills!" said Lily and James in unison. "Would you be willing teach us that sometime?"

"Of course," said Hamon. "It's good to have some martial arts skills, just in case!"

Soon, they all left the queen's castle. Hamon promised them some skills in martial arts sometime in the future, when everything gets cooled down. With that, Hamon apparated away to who-knows-where, Amelia apparated back to the Ministry of Magic, while Harry and his parents apparated back to Hogwarts.

 _To be continued!_

 **Author's note: Another thank you to dannyrockon122 for the ideas of the title for the chapter, Harry getting an invitation to the queen's castle, Harry's headmistress trying to make amends with Harry, Harry's former headmistress, teachers and classmates finding out that they lacked common sense, the former female classmates finding out about Harry having cash, Piers trying to suck up to Harry, and the headmistress getting bitch slapped as punishment accepting bribes. Dannyrockon122 also requested another cameo, for the ideas of doing a rush attack on Vernon while shouting "At" over and over again in between punches, Harry knocking Dudley unconscious, and then writing on a piece of paper, putting it on Dudley and saying "That's your receipt, keep the frickin' change" before walking away, badass style, the receipt showing only pence and not pounds, having Petunia trying to be a piece maker, resulting in Harry dropping that 'F' bomb, and Harry and his parents being offered martial arts.**


	33. Chapter 33

_Disclaimer: As mentioned before, J.K. Rowling owns the wonderful world of Harry Potter. I just own this fanfic and OCs. No copyright intended!_

 **Warning: Reader's discretion is, once again advised, for more sensitive moments in this chapter.**

Ch. 33

Amelia's Big Shock

Upon making it back to the Ministry of Magic, Amelia instructed several aurors to bring Hermione No-Name into an interrogation room, so she could find out how many times Hermione and her group of Harry haters used Felix Felicis, since the deranged bushy-haired female refused to cooperate. Hermione tried resisting as she was being led over to the interrogation room, with Kingsley warning her to quit, or else suffer the consequences. Once she was forced into a chair, Hermione was placed in magic suppression handcuffs, to ensure she couldn't magic her way out, and to make sure she wouldn't lash out irrationally, so even her ankles had to be placed with the handcuffs, to make sure she wouldn't kick out.

"What the fuck is the whole meaning of this?" demanded Hermione. "I demand a fucking explanation for this stupid interrogation. I _mean_ right fucking now!"

That resulted in Amelia casting a charm on Hermione, giving her a mouth full of soap suds, as if to tell Hermione that she'd better watch her language. Then Amelia brought out a device that had what looked like some sort of helmet connected to a monitoring screen of some sort.

"I'll explain to you, what we're going to do, Miss No-Name," said Amelia with contempt in her voice. "Since you won't bother telling any of us the extent of your crimes, you'll have no choice but to put this helmet on. This device is called a Memory Extractor 5000. This helmet will force certain memories to show up on this screen when the person puts it on, now let's begin!"

Hermione found that the helmet also had an unbreakable strap on it, to keep the helmet in place, and also to make sure it couldn't be removed unless specified ministry workers allowed it. Amelia activated the charmed machine, with the helmet causing Hermione to wince. Then Amelia typed some calculations into the keyboard, and also to make sure only specified memories could be extracted. Then, a test pattern showed up on the screen, followed by the first memory.

(Hermione's first memory)

It was the morning after the champion selection for the Triwizard Tournament, and Hermione sneaked over to the boys dormitory, to wait for Ron to come out. Ron and Seamus came out, and then they spotted Harry talking to Fred, George, Lee, Ginny and Neville.

"Okay," Hermione instructed Ron and Seamus. "Let's go ahead take a dose of Felix Felicis!"

"You got it, Hermione!" said Ron and Seamus dutifully.

Then, something else showed up that Amelia didn't expect. It also showed Angelina Johnson approaching Hermione, Ron and Seamus.

"Hermione," said Angelina. "Alicia and Katie just won't shut up! They keep telling me that Harry would never enter his name into that goblet! They must be plainly off their rockers."

"Okay, I'll help you out," said Hermione, then she turned back to Ron and Seamus. "Keep an eye on Potter and those talking to him."

"Yes ma'am!" said Ron and Seamus in unison.

Then Hermione drank some liquid luck and followed Angelina into the girls dormitory, where they spotted Alicia and Katie walking down, then Hermione and Angelina pointed their wands at the two.

"We need to talk... _now_!" said Hermione threateningly. "Now you two, follow me and Angelina!"

Alicia and Katie reluctantly obeyed, knowing that resisting would more than likely cause the situation to escalate. Once they made it to where the fourth year girls slept, Hermione locked the door and cast silence charms on the door, then she and Angelina faced the other two Gryffindor chasers, with evil smiles.

"Wh-What are you doing?" asked Alicia, becoming terrified.

"You and Katie need to put these in." said Hermione.

She handed Alicia and Katie what looked like contact lenses.

"They're coloured contacts," explained Hermione. "Seeing how you two have brown eyes, these are coloured to give you blue eyes when you wear them."

"But Alicia and I don't need to wear them." said Katie.

"Don't worry, they're non-prescribed," said Hermione. "Now put them in, or we'll put you in a full body bind, to make sure you'll miss classes!"

Alicia and Katie reluctantly obeyed and put in their contacts. As soon as their backs were turned, Hermione pointed her wand at Alicia.

"Imperio!" Hermione chanted, then she pointed her wand at Katie next, saying the same thing.

Alicia and Katie went robot-like, and they just stood there, with emotionless looks on their faces. Hermione grinned evily when the coloured contacts concealed the pale, ghost-like appearance in the eyes.

"I'm surprised they're still in their trance-like state, without you continuing to point a wand at them!" said Angelina.

"Being talented in charms certainly allowed that," said Hermione. "Now, we must deal with Potter!"

"You're right, Hermione," said Angelina. "Since he ruined my chance to compete in that damn tournament, he'll learn the hard way what looking for more glory will do to someone!"

"Let's go teach Potter that lesson!" said Hermione.

"Okay!" said Angelina ecstatically.

So she ordered the imperius-induced Alicia and Katie to follow her out and agree with everything she brought up. Hermione went back to where Ron and Seamus were, so they could place the persuasion charms on Harry, Fred, George, Neville, Lee and Ginny. Then Hermione observed as Angelina walked up to Harry, with the imperius-influenced Alicia and Katie right behind. Angelina even unjustly kicked Harry off the Gryffindor Quidditch team, while Alicia and Katie, under the effects of the imperius curse, agreed with that. Seizing that as a chance, Hermione and Ron walked down the staircase and 'confronted' Harry. When Harry tried affirming that he was being truthful, Hermione smacked Harry across the face with everything she had, making Harry run out in tears (since the Felix Felicis in Hermione's system was still in effect). While Fred, George, Lee, Neville and Ginny just simply looked at Hermione, Ron and the Gryffindor chasers, with Seamus walking down the staircase, acting like he hadn't heard or noticed anything, and was 'informed' what all had happened.

(End of memory)

Amelia couldn't believe what all she witnessed, Hermione having placed Alicia and Katie under the imperius curse. She glared at Hermione, who didn't seem intimidated by the head of the DMLE. Then the test pattern showed up on the screen to get ready for the second memory.

(Hermione's second memory)

It was presumably a couple days or so after the champion selection, and Hermione and Susan, Amelia's former niece, were on the prowl, looking for Harry, so they could 'teach him a lesson,' but they came across Pansy Parkinson, who was walking down the hallway. Hermione and Susan found some hiding spots, and they used some supersensory charms to listen to Pansy.

"I wonder where Harry is," said Pansy. "I believe that he didn't enter his name into that wretched goblet. He's already been put in enough danger, so why did it have to happen again? I wish I could just have a nice conversation with him," (that made her blush) "and maybe, once he see's the real me, maybe he'd ask me to be his girlfriend. The Boy-Who-Lived is just a myth, Harry as a person is much better than..."

Once Pansy was close enough, Hermione and Susan cancelled the supersensory charms, then Susan pointed her wand with careful aim, at Pansy.

"Petrificus totalus!" chanted Susan.

Pansy's arms were immediately placed at her sides, then she fell over backwards. All she could do was stare up at the ceiling. She could catch a glimpse of Hermione and Susan approaching her, then they dragged Pansy into an unused classroom, with Susan locking the door while Hermione cast some silence wards on the door, then she cancelled the full body bind, with Susan pointing her wand at Pansy, to make sure she couldn't escape unless she wanted to be hexed again.

"Bones! Granger! What in the hell do you think you are doing?" asked Pansy with distaste in her voice.

"Don't even think of going anywhere near Potter," warned Hermione in a dangerous voice. "He's an attention seeker and a prat. He wouldn't even tell Ron how to get past that stupid age line!"

"Not so smart now, are you, Granger!" taunted Pansy.

Susan smacked Pansy in the face, then she cast the leg-locker curse on Pansy, while Hermione cast the arm-locker curse, to make sure Pansy had no chance of escaping. Pansy was terrified, as she was also left defenceless.

"I don't appreciate your fucking back talk, Parkinson," snarled Hermione, with her wand still pointed at Pansy. "Susan and I heard every word you said about Potter. Every... fucking... word!"

"Now, you'd better not let us, or anybody else in the Anti-Potter club catch you anywhere near Potter," warned Susan. "Or else, you'll have to answer to Hermione, is that clear?"

Pansy shook her head, but then, Hermione pointed her wand at Pansy once more.

"Crucio!" chanted Hermione.

Pansy screamed from the pain caused by the cruciatus curse. Hermione and Susan grinned evily, since the silence wards would prevent Pansy's cries from being heard. Once Hermione stopped, Susan got a vial out and showed it to Pansy.

"You've already forced us to do this," said Susan. "This potion is Instructotentia, the most powerful manipulation potion yet!"

Pansy was frightened, but due to the leg-locker and arm-locker curses still in effect, she could only watch as Hermione forced her mouth open while Susan poured the vial of Instructotentia down her throat. Then a minute later, Pansy shook her head a couple times, which was the sign that the potion's effects were now in effect.

"Now," Herminoe started instructing Pansy. "You are to avoid Potter at all costs. If you do run into him by accident, you're to treat him with as much contempt as possible."

"Yes, mistress!" said the instructotentia-induced Pansy obediently.

So she left the unused classroom after the spells placed on her were cancelled.

(End of memory)

Amelia glared at Hermione once more. That was two unforgivables she used. Amelia was even more mortified that Susan really did join the Anti-Potter club willingly, she thought Susan would've been friendly to Harry, as he was a member of an allied house. But her actions forced Amelia to disown Susan, just so the alliance could continue. A few more memories were shown, and that was when Amelia decided that she had seen enough, so the aurors escorted Hermione back to her holding cell.

(Meanwhile, at Hogwarts)

Harry had just returned from Hogsmeade, having bought a necklace for Gabby. He returned to the unused classroom he'd been using as a makeshift bedroom since being kicked out of Gryffindor Tower, so he could put the box with the necklace in his trunk. Once that was done, he left and went to walk around the castle, to pass the time before lunch time. Harry spotted his mother standing outside the open door to Professor Snape's classroom, and she had a smile on her face.

"Mum, what's going on?" asked Harry.

"Severus," said Lily. "He's trying to get to know Liliana, but it's making him nervous a bit!"

Harry peeked in and saw Professor Snape trying to talk to Liliana. He was at a loss for words, while Liliana was giggling at the potions master's attempt to get to know her. Harry and his mother walked away, so they could let Snape and Liliana continue to get to know each other. Upon meeting up with James, Harry and his parents went to the headmaster's office, as Professor McGonagall had asked them and a few other teachers to help search for anything that could be seen as evidence to get Dumbledore prosecuted.

They made it to the headmaster's office, and began the search. It wasn't easy, since Dumbledore could've found any hiding spots to hide any evidence of his crimes, to make sure he could get away with them. Professor McGonagall found all the letters that Albus kept from Harry, which included the Gringotts notification letters, as well as some letters Remus sent to Harry, and Minerva even found some of the letters she, herself wrote to Harry in the pile. There were even acceptance letters from other schools in the pile.

"What have you gotten yourself into, Albus?" asked Minerva to herself, as if her respect toward Albus hadn't been low enough, it was now.

Harry was in a back room of the office. As he helped with the investigations, he heard something scraping on the floor, coming from a closet nearby. At first, Harry thought it was his mind playing tricks on him. Half a minute later, he heard the scraping again, followed by what sounded like a girl grunting. With his arms starting to shake, Harry cautiously approached the door and tried to open it, only to find it locked, so he pointed his wand at the door.

"Alohomora!" Harry chanted.

The closet door unlocked, and Harry opened the door slowly, with his arms trembling a bit more. Upon opening the door fully, Harry saw a girl of about ten or eleven, who had red hair, bound to a chair in rope, and in magic suppression shackles. Harry was shocked that Dumbledore had also kept someone prisoner. The girl looked at Harry and naturally got scared, thinking Dumbledore was close by. Harry could see the girl's tears flowing down her cheeks.

"Uh... m-mum, d-d-dad!" Harry called to his parents.

Lily and James came over to the open closet door and peeked in. This made them gasp when they saw who was kept prisoner.

"Who is th-that, mum?" asked Harry.

"Th-That's Amelia's daughter, Alaina!" said Lily in shock.

"I thought she never married!" said Harry.

"She did," explained Lily. "Amelia's husband was Arnold Vickers. They married a few years before you were born, Harry. Alaina was born around the same time Liliana and Serena were born."

"H-How long has she been kept here?" asked Harry.

"I don't know," Lily admitted. "At the time of Sirius' unjust incarceration, Arnold was killed by an unidentified dark wizard while out on patrol. Amelia ended up going back to her maiden name, to keep House Bones from dying out."

Professor McGonagall also came by and was utterly stunned when she saw Amelia's daughter in the closet, kept prisoner. Lily slowly approached a still scared Alaina, assuring her soothingly that nobody will hurt her. Lily could see Alaina was extremely malnourished, which was noticeable when Lily felt her hands, which were cold. James went over to the fireplace and floo called Amelia.

"Yes, James, is this important?" asked Amelia.

"Yes, it's urgent, Amelia!" said James. "You'd better get to the headmaster's office ASAP!"

Then the floo call ended, and fifteen seconds later, Amelia stepped out of the fireplace. James led her over to the closet. Amelia gasped in shock when she saw her daughter. This didn't sit well with Amelia, because Albus claimed that Alaina just disappeared and that they were trying to track her down.

"Alaina," said Amelia. "Are... are you... alright?"

"Is that m-m-man g-g-gone?" Alaina asked tearfully.

"He's already arrested," Amelia told her daughter. "H-He won't bother you any more."

"Mummy!" cried Alaina.

Amelia hugged her daughter, happy that she reunited with her daughter, and also hugged her for comfort. Then, Alaina started shaking, and Amelia realized she was cold, with her fingers starting to turn blue.

"We'd better get her to the hospital wing!" said Lily.

So Amelia picked her daughter up, so she could take her to Madam Pomfrey. Amelia was scared for her daughter as she continued making a beeline for the hospital, but on the way, she ran into Madam Pomfrey.

"Amelia, what are...?" Madam Pomfrey began, but then saw who was in her arms and was rendered speechless.

"Albus kept my daughter under false imprisonment," cried Amelia. "She's been malnourished, look at her hands!"

"Oh, Merlin," said Madam Pomfrey as she examined Alaina. "Let's go, time is critical!"

This was enough for Amelia and Madam Pomfrey jogging to the hospital wing, knowing the quicker they made it there, the better chance Alaina had for survival. It seemed like she had been malnourished for way too long. It was a miracle that Alaina was still alive, but that didn't stop Madam Pomfrey from giving her aggressive treatment. Alaina was wrapped in blankets that were charmed to warm her, then she was given some pepperup potions and some nutrient potions, so she could eat some. Amelia sent a letter to Kingsley, to inform him of what happened and asked him to cover for her, which he wrote back and assured that he would. Once that was taken care of, Amelia jogged back to the hospital wing, so she could be by her daughter's side, holding one of her hands for comfort.

"Hang in there, Alaina," Amelia replied tearfully. "It'll be alright."

Amelia was going to have some choice words for Albus once she returned to work. She found it hard to believe that Albus would just kidnap her daughter, for the sake of what, his ego? Kidnapping was bad enough, but the child of a ministry worker, especially the child whose parent was the head of the DMLE. Amelia was going to make sure that Albus would cower once she got a chance to confront him.

'Yep, that'll pretty much be a bad day for Albus Dumbledork!' thought Amelia bitterly.

 _To be continued!_

 **Author's note: I'd like to thank HufflepuffBadger1978 for the idea of Hermione using the imperius curse. Though Alicia and Katie were the ones under the curse, while Angelina wasn't, but the main idea belonged to HufflepuffBadger1978! After all, Hermione and Angelina wanted to ensure that Harry got kicked off the team unjustly.**


	34. Chapter 34

_Disclaimer: As usual, J.K. Rowling is the owner of the Harry Potter universe. I just own this fanfic and OCs. No copyright intended!_

Ch. 34

Tori's Mysterious Illness

Amelia took a few days off, to stay by her daughter's side in the hospital wing. Barty Crouch Sr, Mundungus Fletcher and Ludo Bagman were spotted in the Ministry of Magic and subsequently arrested. It turned out, they were trying to infiltrate the Ministry holding cells to free Dumbledore from his predicament, so they could try to keep the Greater Good plan going and come up with something, to ensure it's succession. As a result of Ludo and Barty Sr's eventual capture, the rest of the Triwizard Tournament was cancelled. This meant that the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students were due to leave, but their departure wouldn't be until the next morning. Viktor didn't want to leave, since he and Ginny had just only recently started dating. Likewise, Gabby didn't want to leave, since she enjoyed every bit of Harry's company and that, too resulted in the two dating. The two lovebirds were sitting in Harry's unused classroom, trying to spend time with each other as much as possible.

"I wish our stay here wasn't cut so soon," said Gabby with a saddened look on her face. "I enjoyed all those times I got to spend with you!"

"I enjoyed those moments, too, Gabby," said Harry. "Maybe, sometime I can come visit you, as long as your parents are okay with it."

"They will be," assured Gabby. "I'd make sure to tell them about you when I'd write letters to them, and they want to meet you!"

Then, Harry and Gabby decided to go for a walk. They ran into Viktor and Ginny on the way outside.

"Ginny, is something wrong?" asked Harry as he noticed Ginny's stunned look.

"Yeah," said Ginny. "This parchment written by Hermione revealed some more concealed, but disturbing information!"

She handed it to Harry, who took it. Harry was shocked by the parchment's contents, which said:

 _Angelina,_

 _In order for the plan to succeed, I've formed a group of Harry-haters, and we've decided to call it the Anti-Potter club. Since he ruined your chances for getting chosen for the tournament, I figured you'd want to teach the fame-seeking prat a lesson. I understand that you told me that Alicia and Katie wouldn't shut up, since they were victims of Potter's brainwashing tactics. In order to ensure they obey, they'll need to be under the effects of the Imperius Curse, but they need to be given non-prescription, blue-coloured contact lenses, so nobody will get suspicious that Alicia and Katie are under the Imperius Curse. Pansy Parkinson will be under the influence of Instructotentia, the most powerful manipulation potion, since she is also a victim of Potter's brainwashing, after I dealt with her personally by using the Cruciatus Curse on her. All members of the club have joined in on their own free will, to help me drive Potter out of Hogwarts. November 7, 1994._

 _From,_

 _Hermione_

Gabby also couldn't believe what she read once Harry allowed her to. Viktor had already read it, and was furious.

"Where was this found?" asked Harry.

"In the fourth year girls dormitory," said Ginny. "Professor McGonagall had asked me to get all the stuff belonging to the Gryffindors who were part of that wretched Anti-Potter club and bring them to the aurors, so they could check for any more evidence. Hermione didn't conceal that note to Angelina very well."

"So Angelina was really part of the club all this time," said Harry, furious. "I never would've realized that Alicia and Katie were under the influence of the Imperius Curse. Pansy being under the influence of Instructotentia, there were already clues for that on the day Hermione bragged about her crimes, foolishly. Professor McGonagall will need to see the note."

Having made the decision, Harry, Gabby, Viktor and Ginny immediately made a beeline for Professor McGonagall's office. Upon making it, Harry knocked on the door, with his head of house answering it.

"Ginny found this in the fourth year girls dormitory." Harry informed the deputy headmistress, handing her the note.

"Merlin's beard," said Professor McGonagall, outraged. "It never occurred to me that Miss Spinnet and Miss Bell were under the influence of the Imperius Curse! Miss Johnson being part of the group, too? She's going to be expelled."

"Want me to go inform her that she needs to report here?" asked Ginny.

"Yes, Miss Weasley," said Professor McGonagall, then she turned to Harry. "Give the note to Kingsley, Mr. Potter. When you do, do tell him that Miss Johnson will be here, in my classroom!"

"Yes, professor." said Harry.

"I'll get right on that!" said Ginny.

So she and Viktor went to get Angelina to report to Professor McGonagall's office, while Harry and Gabby went to find Kingsley, so the note could be given to him. They found him by the door to the Great Hall.

"Kingsley," said Harry, handing the note to him. "You need to see this!"

"Oh, no, she didn't!" said Kingsley as he finished reading the note. "How could Miss Johnson indirectly do this to her friends?"

"She should be at Professor McGonagall's office by now." said Harry.

"Thank you, you two." said Kingsley gratefully.

"Well, Ginny and Viktor should get some of the thanks, too," said Harry. "They found the note first."

"Oh, okay," said Kingsley. "I'd better get to Minerva's office."

He did just that. Harry and Gabby started wandering around the castle again, trying to decide on what to do next. They came across Daphne, Tori and Tracey leaving the hospital wing it seemed. Tori looked downhearted, as she was carrying a case full of potion vials.

"Tori, are you alright?" asked Harry.

"Y-Y-Yeah," Tori sobbed, with tears flowing down her cheeks. "Just this condition I have, it's... it's just too bothersome!"

"What condition do you have?" asked Harry.

"Some k-k-kind of b-b-blood c-curse," Tori sobbed. "I was first diagnosed with it when I was seven, because that's when I-I began g-getting sick way m-m-more often than usual!"

Harry and Gabby gave Tori a comforting hug, to try and make her feel better. It made her smile a bit.

"How often does this blood curse occur?" asked Harry.

"Mum mentioned that an ancestress was given the curse," said Tori, with tears flowing from her eyes. "Nobody was able to reverse it, and that's what makes it bothersome for me. It tends to be rare, as it's passed down from descendant to descendant, but I was unfortunate to get it. Anybody who gets it aren't destined for old age."

"How awful," said Harry. "Those potions, are they like... treatment for it?"

"Yes," said Tori. "They only slow down the progression of the curse, and the potions effects only last for four hours, and that interferes with my sleep schedule. This makes me tired sometimes, even on days we have classes."

"This... this... is just..." Harry choked.

He was at a loss for words.

"I'll let you and Gabby get back to... spending time." said Tori.

"Alright," said Harry. "Try not to... push yourself too hard, Tori!"

"I'll be careful!" assured Tori.

As Tori, Daphne and Tracey walked away, Harry could tell it was hard for them, too, not just for Tori. Harry began thinking about the information he'd received, then he came up with an idea.

"We ought to go find my mum," Harry told Gabby. "She has exceptional potions skills, maybe she and I can research for better treatment or something."

"You're right, Harry," agreed Gabby. "That could be a great project!"

So the two teens jogged around the castle, looking for Lily. They found her just as she was leaving the hospital wing, helping Amelia out with giving Alaina nutrient potions.

"Hey mum," said Harry. "Do you know anything about blood curses? Tori just told me and Gabby about it a couple minutes ago!"

"Yes, a little bit," said Lily. "Her mother once brought it up, sometime before Tori was born. I thought I'd try to research more treatments, and perhaps research for cures, too."

"I was thinking of doing that," said Harry. "Tori mentioned that current treatment for the blood curse she's suffering from only slows the progression for four hours. I thought a newer and more powerful version of the potion treatment would be beneficial for her."

"It would," agreed Lily. "Tori and her family will be happy to hear about this plan!"

(Line break)

Back in Professor McGonagall's classroom, Angelina was there, wondering what all was going on, until Kingsley stepped in, giving the former Gryffindor chaser a nasty glare, ordered her hands to be placed behind her back, and then handcuffed her. Then Kingsley recite Angelina her rights, and then escorted her to a holding cell at the Ministry of Magic.

Harry and Gabby went outside for a walk. As Harry continued thinking over Tori's blood curse, he also started thinking of a very suitable punishment for Hermione No-Name. Harry knew how talented Hermione was in charms and potions, and he figured that talent shouldn't be wasted. It was also bound to be a shocking surprise for the bushy brown haired female.

 _To be continued!_

 **Author's note: I'd like to thank HufflepuffBadger1978 for suggesting that Hermione used the Imperius Curse, although it was only on Katie and Alicia. The main idea was all HufflepuffBadger1978's.**


	35. Chapter 35

_Disclaimer: As mentioned before, J.K. Rowling is the owner of the Harry Potter series, I just own the fanfic and OCs. No copyright intended!_

Ch. 35

Trials, Part 1

The next day was the day the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students were due to leave. But luckily, it would be sometime after breakfast, so Harry and Gabby could spend a little more together. Likewise, Ginny and Viktor were able to do the same. Neville and Luna also sat nearby. Neville saw his gran's owl delivering him a letter, while Hedwig delivered one to Harry.

"Thanks, Hedwig!" said Harry as he relieved Hedwig of the letter, then he gave his owl some bacon, stroked her head, and she flew back to the owlery.

Harry opened his letter, which turned out to be from Amelia. The letter said:

 _Harry,_

 _The trial for the former students who were part of this Anti-Potter club will be on April 15th, at 11:00 AM. The adult wizards who were part of the Greater Good plan will have their trial the next day, that will also included your aunt, uncle and uncle's sister. Your cousin, Dudley and his gang will also have theirs on the 15th._

 _From,_

 _Amelia Bones_

 _Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement_

"Well," Harry told Gabby. "The Harry haters have their trial on the 15th of April, along with my cousin and his gang members."

"That's wonderful," said Gabby. "It's about time they face justice!"

"Yeah," agreed Neville, who had finished reading the letter from his gran. "I'm also happy that that Barty Crouch Jr will be brought to justice, too!"

"He did escape from Azkaban, after all." said Harry.

"He was there for participating in torturing my parents with the Cruciatus Curse," said Neville. "To the point of insanity, and their permanent stay at St. Mungo's Hospital For Magical Maladies And Injuries!"

"Hermione especially will be in extra trouble for causing Alicia, Katie and Pansy to be sent to St. Mungo's," said Harry. "Even though it's to make sure they have no permanent damage."

"Yeah," said Gabby. "She won't be having any more freedom."

Professor McGonagall tapped on her drinking glass to get everyones' attention. Everybody quieted down.

"Thank you," said Professor McGonagall. "Now, I have some announcements to make. The head of the board of governors selected me to be the new headmistress, with Professor Flitwick taking the spot of deputy headmaster, but he will still be the head of Ravenclaw house, and still the charms teacher."

Everybody clapped as they all cheered. Professor Flitwick gave a bow.

"Now," Professor McGonagall continued. "The new transfiguration teacher will be James Charlus Potter. Potions and Defence Against The Dark Arts classes will be a little bit different. Due to Albus' extreme manipulations, potions will be taught by Lily J. Potter, for first through fourth year students, while Severus Snape will still teach potions, but for fifth through seventh year students, especially for those studying for their OWLs, as well as their NEWTs."

Harry's parents also bowed as they received applause from the crowd.

"And," Professor McGonagall went on. "Defence Against The Dark Arts will be taught by Sirius Orion Black for first through third year students; Remus John Lupin will return, but he will teach defence for fourth through sixth year students, especially for O.W.L. students; and Tom Marvolo Riddle Jr will teach defence for N.E.W.T. students. Lily J. Potter has also volunteered to be the new head of Gryffindor house!"

Lily bowed once more as everybody clapped with approval. Even Sirius, Remus, as well as Professor Snape even bowed as they were mentioned on which selected students they'd be teaching. Tom did, too. Harry and Gabby met up with Harry's parents and sister.

"I thought there was a chance you'd be head of Gryffindor, dad." said Harry.

"I did have a chance," said James. "But, being the only Transfiguration teacher, it would've been a bit more stressful."

"I understand that!" said Harry.

"And plus," James went on. "Lily's temper will be more than enough for almost any student, Gryffindors especially, to make sure they don't get on her bad side!"

"So Liliana, how has it been with getting to know Professor Snape?" asked Harry.

"It's going okay," said Liliana. "He's still a bit nervous. His attempts to talk to me have been funny, as it kept making me giggle!"

"So he's starting to feel comfortable with it?" asked Harry.

"Yeah," said Liliana. "He's just taking his time!"

Soon, breakfast was over, and it was time for the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students to leave. Harry kissed Gabby's forehead, who returned it by kissing Harry's cheek. Likewise, Viktor kissed Ginny's forehead, and she kissed Viktor's cheek. Harry and Gabby gave each other a hug, just as Viktor and Ginny hugged each other. Then, Harry and Viktor shook hands.

"Hope to see you again, Harry!" said Viktor.

"Hope to see you again, too, Viktor!" said Harry.

"I do wonder what kind of punishments your enemies will be facing." said Viktor.

"Some pretty harsh ones." said Harry.

Fleur, Kassidy and Kassandra also approached Harry.

"See ya later, Harry," said Fleur as she gave Harry a hug, with Harry returning it. "Our dad works for the French Ministry of Magic. Gabby and I wrote to him about how those Harry haters tried to have us become sex slaves. So he will be at the trial, and we also want to support you, Harry!"

"Thanks a bunch!" said Harry.

"I've been writing to Bill Weasley since meeting him," said Fleur. "Is it possible he'll be there for the trial, too?"

"I'm pretty certain he will," assured Harry. "After all, Ronald was part of that Anti-Potter club."

"Those poor excuses for students, now former students, are about face justice," said Kassidy. "I'm looking forward to see what awaits them!"

"Yeah, me, too!" said Kassandra.

Harry saw Dean walk by to give Kassandra a hug, who returned it. Then, the time for departure was drawing nearer and nearer, so Gabby, Fleur, Kassidy and Kassandra walked back to the Beauxbatons carriage, while Viktor walked back to the Durmstrang ship. Once it was time, the Beauxbatons carriage took off (with the pegasus' pulling it as they flew away), while the Durmstrang ship began drifting away, then it lowered until it was underwater and no longer in sight. The Beauxbatons carriage continued to get smaller and smaller as the pegasus' flew and pulled it away, and soon, it was no longer in sight.

"Dean, are you and Kassandra dating?" asked Harry.

"It's not official," said Dean. "But, ever since the Yule Ball, we've been enjoying each other's company more and more. I'm just waiting for the right time to ask!"

"Well, take your time," advised Harry. "Relationships tend to work better if you wait for the right moment."

"You're right, Harry!" agreed Dean.

Soon, the students walked back into the castle. Classes would be resuming again the next day and they all went to enjoy some more freedom before then.

(Line break)

The weeks have passed by as Hogwarts was slowly returning to normal. Harry and Lily gave Professor McGonagall, and the school governors some ideas that could help to improve Hogwarts, such as using pens or pencils instead of ink and quills, so teachers wouldn't have to worry about ink spots on students' assignments; and paper instead of parchment. Lily even suggested that the pens be charmed to have an unlimited supply of ink. Quidditch was no longer the only sport at Hogwarts, since Harry even mentioned how, in primary school, there were sports he and his classes played in gym class, such as kickball, basketball, volleyball, and a variety of other sports. In fact, Harry even suggested gym class to part of the Hogwarts curriculum, as well as using gym clothes for exercising, as exercise was vital (which was something the pure-blood supremacists never acknowledged). Amelia's daughter, Alaina recovered fully, so Amelia could go back to work without worry.

Two weeks before the trials, Alicia, Katie and Pansy were released from St. Mungo's once it was revealed that there was no permanent damage and were given a clean bill of health. They needed to be tutored, unfortunately, so they could catch up on missed assignments, due to their predicaments, but they gave Harry hugs while they thanked him for helping them out. The goblins of Gringotts were also notified by Harry that Pansy was under the influence of the Instructotentia when her name was signed onto the counterfeit documents. One week before the trials, Harry wrote a letter to Amelia a request on what he had in mind for Hermione No-Name's punishment, as well as suitable punishments for Miles Bletchley and Marcus Flint. Harry also read about the Gringotts Prison Mines, where wizarding criminals could be sentenced there to perform manual labour, and even wrote to Amelia, with that as a suitable punishment for his enemies. Then, Harry had Dobby deliver it to the head of the DMLE. Harry would have Hedwig deliver letters for Gabby and Fleur, since it would give her the opportunity to stretch her wings. The new Minister for Magic was Kingsley Shacklebolt, even though Amelia was offered, but she felt Kingsley should take the position. Kingsley even put in alot of effort to have the Ministry de-corrupted. That paid off, as the dementors were removed from Azkaban, and instead replaced with Aurors, who would be taking turns in shifts guarding the wizarding prison.

(April 15th)

It was finally the day the Harry haters, along with Dudley and his gang, will be getting trials. A squib judge would also be brought in later, for Dudley and his gangs' trials. Harry and his friends were eager to see what punishments the Harry haters would be getting. Oliver Wood also came, as he had been informed by Harry that Alicia and Katie had been under the Imperius Curse, while Angelina turned against Harry, and those who were his friends. The trial would be in courtroom 5 in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Everybody was filing in, where Harry and his friends were sitting in one section, and the adults sitting in an another section. Gabby was sitting by Harry's left, while Neville sat by Harry's right. The members of the Wizengamot took their seats in what was equivalent to a jury's box, while Kingsley took a seat at the judge's desk.

"Order, order!" said Kingsley, banging a gavel to signal the start of the trials. "Court is now in session. Now, it's time we bring Hermione No-Name in!"

Some of the ministry officials dragged Hermione (who was in magic suppression shackles) over to the defendants chair. Convicted wizarding criminals were also dressed in gray robes. Once she was in the defendants chair, her ankles were also placed in magic suppression shackles, with her wrist shackles placed on the armrests of the chair. Hermione glared at Harry, but Gabby sent the supposedly brightest witch of her age an even more intimidating glare just as Hermione was getting jeers, forcing Kingsley to restore order.

The Wizengamot went into the details of Hermione's crimes. Charges against Hermione included attempted line theft on the most ancient and most noble house of Potter; multiple counts of assault and battery on Harry James Potter, scion of House Potter; conspiracy to slander Harry's reputation; being a co-ringleader of the Anti-Potter club; brewing up Instructotentia, which turned out to be illegal, as well as brewing up berserk potions, which was also illegal; using the Imperius Curse on Alicia Spinnet and Katie Bell; drawing up counterfeit contracts; using the Cruciatus Curse on Pansy Parkinson, scioness of House Parkinson; abusing the use of Felix Felicis for evil intentions; multiple counts of attempted murder, since the troll could've killed Harry and his friends; conspiracy to have Fleur and Gabrielle Delacour become sex slaves; obliviating authoritative figures to avoid reprisals; attempting to tamper with evidence and frame innocent people; eluding justice; assault and battery on three aurors; assault and battery on Astoria Greengrass, daughter of Lord Greengrass, a member of the Wizengamot; false imprisonment of Alicia and Katie; attempting to slander Viktor Krum's reputation; and resisting arrest.

"Do you have a verdict for Hermione No-Name?" asked Kingsley.

"Yes," said Amelia as she stood up. "This court finds Miss No-Name _guilty_ of all charges!"

"Alright," said Kingsley as he turned his attention back to Hermione. "Now, Miss No-Name, considering you used unforgivables, that would be an automatic life sentence without parole in Azkaban. But, as it turns out, Amelia received a request from Lord Harry James Potter last week and told me about it, where your talent in potions and charms shall not be wasted..."

This caused some confusion amongst everybody in the courtroom. They were talking about what Harry had in mind for Hermione. Kingsley restored order, so they could continue.

"So," Kingsley went on, still facing Hermione. "At Lord Harry James Potter's request, Miss No-Name, you are hereby sentenced to spend the rest of your natural life in a specially designed prison cell in the prisoner section at St. Mungo's Hospital For Magical Maladies And Injuries, where you will be helping the healers brew up different kinds of potions. On top of that, Lord Harry James Potter also requested that you also help research cures for various ailments, where you will start with researching cures for lycanthropy, cures for long-term Cruciatus exposure, cures for long-term Imperius exposure, and cures for the blood malediction Miss Astoria Greengrass currently suffers from, where you will be under supervision of the unspeakables. Lord Harry James Potter believed that this was the opportunity for you to owe him a life debt, effective as soon as you leave the courtroom!"

Kingsley banged his gavel, signalling the start of Hermione's sentence. Everybody was surprised with what Harry really had in mind for Hermione. The Greengrass's were gobsmacked, Tori felt as though her jaw dropped to the ground, and she was rendered speechless.

"Wow, Harry," said Gabby in amazement. "I didn't expect that!"

"Yeah, I didn't see that one coming!" said Neville, surprised.

"Uh... Daph... w-w-would you pinch me, to make sure this isn't a dr-dream?" said Tori, who couldn't believe what Hermione's sentence was.

"It's alright, sis," assured Daphne. "It's real!"

"I may hate Hermione," said Harry. "But, why should someone's talent go to waste? Since all those times where I thought she owed me a life debt and it turned out to be a setup! Now, she really owes me one!"

"An excellent prank, Harry..." said Fred (or George).

"With this one being..." said George (or Fred).

"Helpful for others out there..." said Fred (or George).

"Who want to be cured..." said George (or Fred).

"Of their respective ailments and diseases!" Fred and George finished their twin talk.

"But Hermione will hate working on that cure for Tori, more than the other ones!" said Harry with glee, with his friends laughing.

Hermione was dragged away, where she would be transferred to St. Mungo's to the specially designed prison cell. She just glared at Harry once more. How dare the attention seeker save her from Azkaban. She wanted a death sentence, just so she could get herself out of her predicament. Now, she really owed Harry a life debt, and where her magic would force her to spend the rest of her days researching cures and brewing potions for St. Mungo's. As much as Hermione knew it, she would never accept that she, and she herself only, was the one who got herself into hot water. She would just continue to blame Harry for her problems.

Harry felt himself getting hugged by Neville, Tori, Tracey and Daphne. This caused him to blush, and to jokingly remark that he felt like he was being rolled up like a burrito.

"I hope Hermione No-Name will find a cure for my blood malediction curse!" said Tori, overjoyed.

"Don't worry, Tori," assured Harry. "I'm pretty certain she'll find one. Since she now has that life debt to repay, her magic will force her to."

"Look at dad," said Daphne, pointing to where her dad was. "He's so surprised he's stuttering!"

"Even mum can't say anything!" said Tori.

"Hermione even being forced to work on a cure for long-term exposure to the Cruciatus Curse," said Neville. "Someday, mum and dad will be cured, and I'll finally get to have them there, at home!"

"That was a suitable punishment for Hermione, Harry," said Remus as he gave Harry a hug. "One of these days, I will be free from having to take the Wolfsbane Potion!"

"No kidding," said Alicia as she walked up to Harry. "Hermione got what was coming to her!"

"You didn't have to include the researching for a cure for long-term Imperius exposure, Harry," said Katie. "I'm happy, either way, that you went ahead and did so!"

"I just wanted to be sure," said Harry. "Better safe than sorry!"

"That's certainly true, Harry!" said Lee.

"Plus, a death sentence is just too easy of a punishment!" said Harry, who started grinning smugly. "And, there's some more surprises!"

Kingsley got order restored and called for the next defendant, Miles Bletchley. He was secured into the defendant's chair. Charges against Miles were multiple counts of attempted murder (since he helped Hermione with the troll incident), attempted line theft on House Potter, tampering with evidence to frame innocent people for his crimes, conspiracy to slander Harry's reputation, assault and battery on three aurors, eluding justice, conspiracy to kidnap Fleur and Gabrielle Delacour to enslave them, and resisting arrest.

"This court finds Mr. Bletchley guilty of all charges!" said Lord Greengrass after the Wizengamot decided on a verdict.

"Mr. Bletchley," said Kingsley. "At the request of Lord Harry James Potter, you are hereby sentenced to spend the rest of your natural life helping Severus Snape and Lily J. Potter getting potions ingredients for their classes, as well as helping them brew up some potions that are part of the Hogwarts curriculum."

Kingsley banged his gavel, which signalled the start of Miles' sentence. Harry saw his mother and Professor Snape looking ecstatic as Miles was dragged away.

"Harry, sweetheart," said Lily. "I'm surprised that you requested this!"

"Well, I thought I'd try to help you and Professor Snape relieve some of the stress," said Harry. "Since teaching can be hard work!"

"I'm impressed with your efforts, Harry," said Professor Snape. "Looking for different ways of helping teachers!"

Marcus Flint was the next defendant called in. Charges he was facing included multiple counts of attempted murder (since he was part of the troll incident), tampering with evidence to frame innocent people for his crimes, attempted line theft on House Potter, conspiracy to slander Harry's reputation, conspiracy to kidnap Fleur and Gabrielle Delacour to use as slaves, eluding justice, assault and battery on three aurors, and resisting arrest.

"This court finds Mr. Flint guilty of all charges!" said Lord Greengrass.

"Mr. Flint," said Kingsley. "Lord Harry James Potter made a request for your punishment. You are hereby sentenced to spend the rest of your natural life restocking ingredients and potions at both apothecaries in Diagon Alley, where you'll switch between the two every week!"

Kingsley banged his gavel to signal the start of Flint's sentence, and he was dragged away.

"Sometimes, when I'd purchase some potions ingredients," said Harry. "The clerks in both apothecaries would mention that sometimes restocking could be a hassle, especially during the times when they'd get crowded with students stocking up for any of the new school years, causing the ingredients to deplete faster than getting restocked!"

"I'm sure both of the owners of those respective apothecaries would be thrilled to hear about you requesting that Flint receive that kind of sentence, Harry," said Sirius. "After all, it would help to keep the stock from falling faster!"

Ron was the next one up. His charges included attempt line theft on House Potter, multiple counts of assault and battery on Harry, conspiracy to slander Harry's reputation, conspiracy to kidnap Fleur and Gabrielle with enslavement intentions, tampering with evidence to frame innocent people for his crimes, assault and battery on Daphne, brewing illegal potions, and eluding justice. Ron was found guilty of all charges and sentenced to 15 years in the Gringotts prison mines, and then 65 to 80 years in Azkaban.

Susan Bones (now No-Name) was up after Ron. She was charged with multiple counts of assault and battery on Harry, attempted line theft on House Potter, brewing illegal potions, eluding justice, tampering with evidence to frame innocent people for her crimes, blackmailing Pansy Parkinson into taking Instructotentia, conspiracy to slander Harry's reputation, and abusing the Felix Felicis for evil intentions. Susan was found guilty of all charges and sentenced to 10 years in the Gringotts prison mines and 50 years in Azkaban.

Hannah Abbott (now also No-Name) went after Susan. The charges she faced included attempted line theft on House Potter, attempted line theft on House Longbottom (since she planned to give Neville a love potion to ensnare him away from Luna), conspiracy to slander Harry's reputation, multiple counts of assault and battery on Harry, assault and battery on Luna, abusing the Felix Felicis for evil intentions, brewing illegal potions, tampering with evidence to frame innocent people for her crimes, and eluding justice. Hannah was found guilty of all charges and sentenced to 25 years in the Gringotts prison mines and 75 years in Azkaban.

Draco was next, and he was charged with attempted line theft on House Potter, conspiracy to kidnap Fleur and Gabrielle with intentions to enslave them, conspiracy to slander Harry's reputation, brewing illegal potions, bribery, and eluding justice. Draco was found guilty of all charges and sentenced to 17.5 years in the Gringotts prison mines and 55 to 70 years in Azkaban.

Ernie MacMillan was after Draco. Ernie's charges included attempted line theft on House Potter, brewing illegal potions, conspiracy to slander Harry's reputation, tampering with evidence to get away with his crimes, and eluding justice. Ernie was found guilty of all charges and sentenced to 7.5 years in the Gringotts prison mines and 45 years in Azkaban.

Justin Finch-Fletchley was next, and he was charged with attempted line theft on House Potter, conspiracy to slander Harry's reputation, brewing illegal potions, tampering with evidence to get away with his crimes, and eluding justice. Justin was found guilty of all charges and sentenced to 5 years in the Gringotts prison mines and 35 to 50 years in Azkaban.

Lavender Brown was the next one up. Her charges included attempted line theft on House Potter, conspiracy to slander Harry's reputation, brewing illegal potions, multiple counts of assault and battery on Harry, tampering with evidence to get away with her crimes, and eluding justice. Lavender was found guilty of all charges and sentenced to 8 years in the Gringotts prison mines and 48 to 60 years in Azkaban.

The Patil twins went next, and they pretty much faced similar charges Lavender faced, and both were found guilty and sentenced to 6.5 years in the Gringotts prison mines and 40 years in Azkaban. Seamus Finnigan, too, faced similar charges, was found guilty, and sentenced to 10 years in the Gringotts prison mines and 30 years in Azkaban.

Megan Jones faced charges of brewing illegal potions, attempted line theft on House Potter, conspiracy to slander Harry's reputation, and eluding justice. She was found guilty of all charges and sentenced to 10 years in the Gringotts prison mines and 30 years in Azkaban.

Crabbe and Goyle were both charged with attempted line theft on House Potter, resisting arrest, eluding justice, and brewing illegal potions. They were also found guilty and sentenced to 3.5 years in the Gringotts prison mines and 35 years in Azkaban.

Mandy Brocklehurst, Michael Corner and Anthony Goldstein were charged with brewing illegal potions, attempted line theft on House Potter and eluding justice. They were found guilty and sentenced to eighteen months in the Gringotts prison mines and then 500 hours of community service at St. Mungo's.

Angelina Johnson was charged with false imprisonment of Alicia and Katie, tampering with evidence to frame innocent people for her crimes, conspiracy to slander Harry's reputation, eluding justice, and blackmailing Alicia and Katie. Angelina was found guilty of all charges and sentenced to 25 to 50 years in Azkaban.

Theodore Nott and Marietta Edgecombe were charged with acting as lookouts, tampering with evidence to get away with their crimes, using unforgivables (or attempted use in Marietta's case), and eluding justice. They were found guilty of all charges and sentenced to spend the rest of their natural lives in Azkaban.

After lunch, Harry's cousin, Dudley and his gang, Piers, Dennis, Malcolm and Gordon had their trial. A squib judge dealt with their charges, which included multiple counts of assault and battery on Harry, multiple counts of tampering with evidence to continue beating up Harry, resisting arrest, multiple counts of attempted murder (seeing that the 5 on 1 beatings could've been enough to kill Harry), and assault and battery on aurors. They were all found guilty and sentenced to 10 years in juvenile detention, 50 years in Azkaban and 50 years in a muggle prison.

Harry and his supporters were happy that Dudley, Dudley's gang, and the Anti-Potter club members finally got justice. Now, the next day, the adults involved with the Greater Good, as well as Vernon, Petunia and Marge Dursley were due to receive trial, and be brought to justice.

 _To be continued!_


	36. Chapter 36

_Disclaimer: As mentioned before, J.K. Rowling owns the wonderful world of Harry Potter. I just own this fanfic and OCs. No copyright intended!_

Ch. 36

Trials, Part 2/Dumbledore's Just Desserts

After the Harry haters, as well and Dudley and his gangs' trials, Harry decided to take Gabby out to Muggle London and brought her parents along, so Harry could get to know them better. Bill and Fleur went on another date, as Harry and Gabby could tell that they couldn't keep their eyes off of each other. Fred, George and Lee also asked Daphne, Tracey and Tori respectively on dates, as the three Slytherin girls enjoyed pranks just as much as Fred, George and Lee. Neville and Luna also went out on a date, and so did Viktor and Ginny.

Back at the Ministry, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was questioned about his plans, under the influence of Veritaserum. Albus admitted that he had kidnapped Harry's parents and sister, along with Sirius' daughter, in order for Harry to face his destiny, and said that that was also why he kept Harry's mail from him. Tom Riddle Jr was also kidnapped, in order for the Greater Good to succeed. Albus stated that he intended to frame Tom for his crimes, after Harry would've been forced to defeat him. Albus also admitted to have kidnapped Alaina in order to throw Amelia off track, so she wouldn't be able to interfere. Albus also admitted that the prophecy was fake, but he still blackmailed Severus into going along with it, and to make sure Harry was prepared by treating him with animosity. Albus also admitted that the scar was caused by a cut from a dagger, so he could pass that off as Harry having destroyed Tom as Lord Voldemort. Albus also admitted to taking huge amounts of money out of the Potter family vault, to pay his minions to help fulfill the Greater Good.

Barty Crouch Jr was given Veritaserum and, without a doubt, admitted to helping Albus in forcing Harry to fulfill the fake prophecy. He also admitted to have placed Harry's name in the goblet of fire, and when Harry got suspicious, Barty Jr placed a persuasion charm on him to forget about it. Barty Jr also revealed that he had used polyjuice potion to smuggle his way out of Azkaban, with his mother impersonating him and dying in Azkaban. Barty Jr also kidnapped Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, so he could impersonate the retired auror with the help of polyjuice potions and keep an eye on Harry to make sure he'd win the tournament.

Barty Crouch Sr was given Veritaserum and questioned. He admitted that he went along with the plan, to regain his popularity. Barty Sr revealed that, in order for that to work, he would watch Harry kill Tom Riddle, and then he'd declare Harry as a cold-blooded murderer, and have Harry chucked into Azkaban without a trial. Cornelius Fudge, under the effects of Veritaserum, also admitted that he agreed with that plan, so he could also regain popularity, and become the most popular minister yet. Mundungus Fletcher was also given Veritaserum, and he admitted that his role was to help Albus spread a bunch of gossip around, so they'd have a better chance to succeed in their plan. Ludo Bagman was also questioned under Veritaserum, and he admitted that he joined in on the plan, so he could be paid huge amounts of money to get himself out of debt with the goblins at Gringotts, but all that really did was send Ludo into an even bigger debt.

Peter Pettigrew was also given Veritaserum and questioned. He admitted that he was more concerned with saving his own hide, and in order to do that, he yelled out that Sirius was a cold-blooded killer, then he used a spell to kill those twelve muggles, then he cut off his own finger to frame Sirius. Then Peter admitted to finding out about Sirius being chucked into Azkaban without a trial, which made him smile that his plan worked. Peter also admitted that he had escaped justice by using his animagus form, which was a rat.

Lucius Malfoy was also questioned under Veritaserum. He revealed that he joined in on the plan in revenge for having been tricked into setting Dobby free. Lucius also revealed that he nearly used the killing curse on Harry within the vicinity of Hogwarts. Dolores Umbridge was given Veritaserum and questioned. She revealed that she went along with the plan in order to try to help exile Harry out of Britain for being an 'attention seeker.' Dolores also revealed that she wasn't a pure-blood, but a muggleborn who created false resumes in order to cheat her way into employment in the Ministry, as well as lying about her blood status, just so she could change a number of laws to ensure that half-bloods, muggleborns, beasts, half-beasts, or veela wouldn't be able to find any decent jobs (at least as easily). Consequently, Dolores lost all of her popularity (she was already losing some of that when she was arrested). Now, she was the most hated witch of the generation.

Vernon, Petunia and Marge Dursley had already been questioned under Veritaserum. As much as they knew that it was their actions that got them in their predicaments, neither one was willing to admit it.

Rita was also given Veritaserum and she admitted that she tried to ruin Harry's reputation. She also revealed that she had been paid to intensify that. Rita also revealed herself to be an unregistered animagus and used that to her advantage to get stories and twist them up differently.

(April 16th)

It was around a quarter after 10:00 AM when Harry and his friends went back to the Ministry, to see what Dumbledore's fate especially, would be. Naturally, Harry was tense, knowing he would have to face his so-called relatives, but Gabby held one of his hands to provide comfort. Oliver Wood also sat by Harry, and he wasn't too thrilled to learn how bad Harry's Pre-Hogwarts life was. Kassidy and Kassandra found spots near Oliver.

"Excuse me, are these spots taken?" Kassidy asked Oliver.

"No, ma'am," said Oliver, who immediately became smitten with Kassidy, and she seemed to reciprocate. "Y-Y-You c-can sit here i-i-i-if you w-w-want!"

"Th-Thank y-y-you!" Kassidy stuttered.

Oliver and Kassidy found themselves unable to keep their eyes off each other. Kassandra saw the ordeal, and she couldn't help but smile as she saw her big sister flirting. Bill and Fleur also saw the ordeal and they, too, smiled. Oliver and Kassidy introduced themselves to each other. Eventually, the start of trial began, and Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was the first defendant.

Albus was charged with multiple counts of kidnapping, multiple counts of false imprisonment, multiple counts of child endangerment (as he always insisted that Harry return to the Dursleys, despite their treatment), line theft on House Potter, conspiracy to slander Tom Riddle Jr's reputation with the Lord Voldemort malarkey, tampering with evidence to continue to get away with his crimes, multiple counts of blackmail, conspiracy to have Harry eventually chucked into Azkaban without a trial, creating a false prophecy, multiple counts of mail fraud, multiple counts of bribery, and multiple counts of corruption.

"This court finds Albus guilty of all charges!" said Lord Greengrass after he and the Wizengamot came up with a verdict.

"Albus," said Kingsley. "At Lord Harry James Potter's request, you are hereby sentenced to 400 to 500 years in the Gringotts prison mines!"

Then, Kingsley banged his gavel, signalling the start of Albus Too-Many-Names Dumbledore sentence. Albus was shocked to learn that he was punished with manual labour. As he was being led out, he screamed that he wanted a different sentence, which forseeably fell on deaf ears.

Barty Crouch Jr was up next. He was charged with child endangerment (since he was the one who placed Harry's name into the goblet of fire), tampering with evidence to escape from Azkaban undetected, attempted line theft on House Potter, kidnapping Alastor Moody, conspiracy to slander Tom Riddle Jr's reputation and multiple counts of false imprisonment. He was found guilty of all charges and sentenced to 25 years in the Gringotts prison mines and the rest of his natural life in Azkaban.

Barty Crouch Sr was next. He was charged with child endangerment, conspiracy to have Harry chucked into Azkaban without a trial, attempted line theft on House Potter, and multiple counts of corruption. He was sentenced to 20 years in the Gringotts prison mines and 40 years in Azkaban.

Ludo Bagman was next and he was charged with child endangerment, attempted line theft on House Potter and corruption. He was sentenced to 40 years in the Gringotts prison mines and 50 years in Azkaban. Mundungus Fletcher was charged with attempted line theft on House Potter, conspiracy to slander Harry's and Tom Riddle Jr's reputations, corruption and child endangerment. He was also found guilty of all charges and sentenced to 15 years in the Gringotts prison mines and 45 years in Azkaban.

Cornelius Fudge was the next defendant. He was charged with child endangerment, attempted line theft on House Potter, conspiracy to slander Harry's and Tom Riddle Jr's reputations, conspiracy to have Harry chucked in Azkaban without a trial, endangerment of the wizarding community (by covering up a number of crimes instead of doing something about it), and multiple counts of corruption. He was sentenced to 20 years in the Gringotts prison mines and 65 years in Azkaban.

Lucius Malfoy was up next. He was charged with lying about being under the influence of the Imperius Curse to evade justice, attempted murder of Lord Harry James Potter with the killing curse, attempted line theft on House Potter, creating several counterfeit contracts, multiple counts of attempted genocide, multiple counts of bribery, conspiracy to exile Harry, and multiple counts of corruption. He was sentenced to 50 years in the Gringotts prison mines and the rest of his natural life in Azkaban.

Dolores Umbridge was the next defendant. She was charged with attempted line theft on House Potter, multiple counts of attempted genocide, creating several counterfeit documents, conspiracy to exile Harry, forging a resume to manipulate her way up, lying about her blood status, and multiple counts of corruption. She was sentenced to 45 years in the Gringotts prison mines and 85 to 125 years in Azkaban.

Rita was after Dolores and she was charged with conspiracy to slander Harry's reputation, learning to become an animagus without registering and multiple counts of corruption. She was also found guilty of all charges and was sentenced to 20 years in the Gringotts prison mines and 40 years in Azkaban.

Peter was after Dolores, and he was charged with multiple counts of murder, conspiracy to ruin Sirius' reputation, conspiracy to ruin Harry's reputation, conspiracy to ruin Tom Riddle Jr's reputation, eluding justice, tampering with evidence to frame an innocent person for his crimes, and learning to become an animagus without registering. Peter was found guilty of all charges and was sentenced to 20 to 40 years in the Gringotts prison mines and after that, spend the rest of his natural life in Azkaban.

After lunch, it was Vernon Dursley's trial, and he was glaring at Harry. Gabby held one of Harry's hands for comfort. Lily and James glared at Vernon, who didn't seem intimidated, that was, until Hagrid also glared at Vernon, and he cowered. Vernon was charged with multiple counts of assault and battery on Harry, multiple counts of using Harry as a slave, multiple counts of child neglect, multiple counts of bribery, multiple counts of slandering Harry's reputation in the muggle world, multiple counts of attempted murder (especially since he allowed Ripper to try to maul Harry to death, which would've happened if Harry hadn't climbed that tree, and he tried to strangle Harry for inflating Marge, regardless of it being accidental, and he even allowed Dudley and his gang to beat up Harry relentlessly), and multiple counts of corruption. A squib judge was brought in for the adult Dursleys, and Vernon was found guilty of all charges, and sentenced to spend the rest of his natural life in a muggle prison.

Petunia was up next, and she cowered when she caught Lily's glare. Petunia was charged with multiple counts of assault and battery on Harry (since she once aimed a heavy blow at his head with a frying pan, and the number of times she smacked Harry across the face), multiple counts of child neglect, multiple counts of child endangerment, attempted murder (since she didn't care if Ripper intended to maul Harry), slandering Harry's reputation in the muggle world, multiple counts of bribery (some of those times, Vernon wasn't able to do it himself), multiple counts of using Harry as a slave, and multiple counts of corruption. She was found guilty of all charges and sentenced to spend the rest of her natural life in a muggle womens' prison.

Marge was the last defendant. She was charged with multiple counts of assault and battery on Harry, multiple counts of using Harry as a slave, attempted murder (since she allowed Ripper to try and maul Harry, and yet, she also refused to call Ripper off until the next morning, making Harry all sleepy and scared), multiple counts of bribery (there were some occasions where she would bribe people to keep quiet about her and the other Dursleys' treatment toward Harry), child endangerment, and multiple counts of corruption. She was also found guilty of all charges and sentenced to spend the rest of her natural life in a muggle womens' prison.

Once the Dursleys were finally brought to justice, Harry blew a sigh of relief, knowing he could finally relax and finish his education without worrying about his enemies out there. After leaving the courtroom, Harry tapped Gabby on her shoulder. She turned around with a grin and Harry kissed her on the lips as he hugged her. Gabby's heart melted as soon as that happened, she was waiting for that moment. Everybody cheered and wolf-whistled at that, happy for Harry and Gabby. Harry also pulled out the necklace he bought for Gabby from his pocket and put it around her neck, making her smile more.

 _To be continued!_


	37. Chapter 37

_Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling is the owner of the Harry Potter universe. I just own the fanfic and OCs. No copyright intended!_

 **Warning: Character deaths will be mentioned in this chapter, so reader's discretion is advised!**

Epilogue

Hogwarts started changing for the best with the ideas that Harry and Lily came up with. Harry and Gabby continued dating for several more years, and a month after graduating from Hogwarts, he proposed to Gabby while vacationing in Paris, in the living room of Delacour Manor, then they married a couple weeks after Harry's nineteenth birthday. They eventually had twin boys, one of them was an exact clone of Harry, so Harry and Gabby named the first twin Harry James Potter II, and the other twin boy was named Orion Remus Potter. A couple years after that, Harry and Gabby became parents to twin girls, named Lucille Gabriella Potter and Lillian Ginevra Potter. Harry also went on to become a potioneer, determined to follow in his mother's footsteps, while Gabby went on to become a dancer.

Neville eventually proposed to Luna in the summer before his final year at Hogwarts, and she happily accepted. In July after Luna graduated, she and Neville married at Longbottom Manor. Neville eventually became the Hogwarts herbology teacher after Professor Sprout retired, while Luna became a magizoologist. They eventually had one daughter, named Victoria Alice Longbottom.

After graduating from Beauxbatons, Fleur moved to London to be closer to Bill. After saving up some money, they eventually purchased and moved into Shell cottage. A year and a half after that, Bill proposed to Fleur, who accepted. 15 months later, they were married, and they eventually had three children named Victoire, Dominique and Louis. Bill continued his job as a curse-breaker at Gringotts while Fleur managed to find a job there.

Dean Thomas kept in touch with Kassandra and would occasionally visit her. They began dating shortly after Dean finished his sixth year. A year later, Dean propsed to Kassandra and she accepted, then another year later, they married and they moved to Sydney, Australia. They had yet to decide on having children, but were thinking about it.

Fred, George and Lee eventually opened up a joke shop, called Weasley's Wizard Wheezes in Diagon Alley sometime after graduating. Harry donated 5,000 galleons to help them get started ahead of time. In return, they allowed Harry to help himself to any of their products, free of charge, though Harry refused, having had more than enough money. So instead, Harry opted to donate some money to Weasley Wizard Wheezes from time to time. Fred, George and Lee also started dating Daphne, Tracey and Tori respectively, and the three Slytherin girls were also offered jobs at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, and they happily accepted. Eventually, Fred, George and Lee proposed to their respective girlfriends, and soon, married them. They continued working for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, then they eventually bought Zonko's joke shop in Hogsmeade, so they could expand. Daphne, Tracey and Tori kept an eye on the Hogsmeade chain while Fred, George and Lee remained at the one in Diagon Alley, occasionally taking turns. Neither had any children, but were discussing the idea.

Oliver eventually began dating Kassidy, which went on for three years before Oliver proposed to her, and she happily accepted. Even after having married Kassidy, Oliver continued playing quidditch for United Puddlemere, with Kassidy eventually becoming the commentator. Three years into their marriage, Kassidy revealed to Oliver that she was pregnant with a girl. Eventually, their daughter was born, who they named Olivia.

Charlie still continued his career as a dragonologist in Romania. He never married, as he was more interested in his passion for his career. Nevertheless, that didn't stop him from bonding with his nieces and nephew (Bill and Fleur's children) every chance he got. He also bonded with Harry and Gabby's children as well, and any children any of his friends had.

Ginny and Viktor also stayed in touch and continued dating. Ginny eventually played on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, with her skills continuing to get better. She was so good that she was beginning to get scouted by various coaches of different professional quidditch teams. Since Viktor continued to play for Bulgaria, Ginny ultimately chose that team over the Holyhead Harpies. The day after the big victory over Peru, Viktor proposed to Ginny, who accepted. Two and a half years into their marriage, Ginny became pregnant with twins, a boy and a girl. They named their son Dominick, and their daughter Myla.

Cedric and Cho continued dating for the rest of their education days. Four years after Cho graduated, Cedric proposed to her, and she accepted. A year after marrying, they decided to play professional quidditch, playing for the German national team. They didn't have any children.

Neither Alicia, nor Katie ever married. They eventually received N.E.W.T. grades in charms and transfiguration respectively. Pansy eventually became smitten with Adrian Pucey, who was a Slytherin quidditch chaser. While they eventually married, they never had any children. Pansy went on to study animals, while Adrian also pursued a career in professional quidditch. Remus eventually started dating a lady named Nymphadora Tonks, who preferred to be called by her surname, and she was an auror. They eventually married and had a son named Teddy.

Upon starting their first year, Liliana was sorted into Ravenclaw, Serena was sorted into Gryffindor (just like her father), while Alaina was sorted in Hufflepuff (just like her mother). Like Harry, Liliana was also passionate with potions. She, too was determined to follow in her mother's footsteps, something which impressed Severus. Serena was passionate with transfiguration, which Sirius was impressed with, seeing his daughter attempting to follow in his footsteps. Alaina was also passionate in following her mother's footsteps in working for the Ministry of Magic.

Professor McGonagall was also happy to see the new changes coming to Hogwarts. The 'jinx' on the Defence Against The Dark Arts job turned out to be, yet another misdirection caused by Albus Too-Many-Names Dumbledore, but now that was no longer a problem. Tom, Remus and Sirius enjoyed teaching the subject jointly. James had fun teaching Transfiguration, while Lily enjoyed teaching potions alongside Severus. Though he was still a little nervous around Liliana, Severus eventually became more and more comfortable in her presence. Professor Flitwick continued teaching charms for seven more years before retiring.

Narcissa Malfoy (who eventually went back to her maiden name) was forgiven by Sirius and welcomed back into House Black. She divorced Lucius and disowned Draco shortly after their respective incarcerations started. Narcissa also got Malfoy Manor sold (since her ex-husband and ex-son weren't going to reenter society anytime soon), and 25% of the money she received from selling the manor went to donations at St. Mungo's hospital.

Vernon Dursley didn't last more than six weeks in prison. His child abusing inevitably leaked out to the other inmates. One day in the prison showers, Vernon was killed when another inmate snapped his neck, who told Vernon's corpse that child abusers are despicable, then wiped away the evidence. Likewise, Petunia and Marge suffered similar fates when their child abusing crimes became known to the other female inmates.

Dudley and his gang members were dreading every second in juvie. On three occasions, Piers tried escaping, only to get caught and returned, with his sentence getting extended. Dennis tried starting a riot in order to get out, only to be placed in solitary confinement. Dudley ended up having to be placed in protective custody after the other juvenile offenders found out about him being the ringleader to beat up his then much smaller cousin.

During their sentences, most of the Harry haters were coming to accept that their actions got them into their predicaments. They realized, the hard way, that they threw away something promising. Still, they knew that they were responsible for their actions. Crabbe and Goyle were simply neutral about theirs. Bletchley and Flint also dreaded their sentences, and yet, they never would acknowledge that they did wrong. Hermione hated her sentence to the max, to the point where she continued holding her grudge against Harry, thus making her more and more bitter. She would never come to terms of her actions, even though she knew that payback was a bitch.

Albus Dumbledore also found his sentence to be dreadful. He never could come to grips as to how his plans had crumbled beneath his feet. Albus also lost all of his achievements and Order of Merlin awards as a result of his sentence. Lucius and Dolores had their sentences extended, due to a futile attempt to escape. The goblins were not the kind of creatures that should be messed with, and Lucius and Dolores found that out the hard way.

Magical Britain was becoming a better place, for once. All the laws favouring pure-bloods were repealed, making it easier for half-bloods, muggleborns, beasts, half-beasts and veela to find jobs in the wizarding Britain. Now, employment in the Ministry of Magic required N.E.W.T. grades for whichever department they wanted to work for, as well as pass several tests, just to make sure they weren't in league with any dark wizards. Eventually, the number of jobs were given to those earned it, not out of favouritism. Things in Magical Britain were finally beginning to look up.

 _The End!_

 **Author's note 1: I'm going to leave it up to you to decide if Tori eventually gets cured of the blood curse or if she eventually succumbs to it.**

 **Author's note 2: I'd like to thank all the fans for the favorites, follows and positive reviews. If any of you are interested, check my profile page from time to time for future stories!**


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